India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has spilled the beans on the decision to bring back Sanju Samson to the playing XI which turned around the campaign for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Keralam keeper-batter had played just one game against Namibia before he was brought back to the line-up in the Super 8 stage, from whereon he played consistent match-winning knocks that eventually saw India lifting the title for the record 3rd time. Following the win, Gambhir has revealed how he always had faith in Sanju and how he had conveyed that the batter must return to the XI.
Why was Sanju Samson brought back in?
Speaking to JioHotstar, Gambhir explained that the rationale behind bringing Sanju back into the playing XI was to add more firepower to the top-order and not to break the excessive presence of left-handers and cracking the code as to how to deal with off-spinners. With the presence of a misfiring Abhishek Sharma, a consistent Ishan Kishan and a struggling Tilak Varma in the top three, India had struggled to get going in the initial few games. However, that changed after Samson’s re-entry to the team in the Super 8 stage.
“I know a lot of people will talk about how we wanted to break the three left-handers at the top, not at all. We just felt that we wanted to be more explosive because the ideology in the last one and a half years has been to go out there and be as explosive as we can be. The reason to bring in Sanju was not about managing the off-spinner from the other end. I believe that a quality batter will be good against any kind of bowler, whether it’s an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner. It was about whether we could get even more firepower at the top and be more aggressive in the first six overs,” Gambhir explained.
Samson had no idea that he would have a crucial role to play after being snubbed out of the T20 WC opener against USA. He fared rather poorly in the game against Namibia and Zimbabwe, registering scores of 22 and 24. However, it was during the knockout stages and crucial matches where Samson proved his worth. His match-winning knocks of 97*, 89 and 89 against West Indies (in Super 8), England (in the semi-final) and New Zealand (in the final) propelled him to being named the Player of the Series, with 321 runs to his name from 5 innings, averaging 80.25 and boasting of a strike rate of 199.37.
Gambhir claimed that there was no doubt whatsoever on Samson’s capabilities, adding that his explosiveness was as such that he could win the game for the team in the first six overs. The India head coach revealed that he had told Sanju about his return to the playing XI while they were working out in the gym.
“I conveyed it to him in the gym. In fact, we were both training together and I just told him that you’ll be playing against Zimbabwe, and he said, ‘let it come.’ That’s the kind of casual conversation we have. It’s not like a head coach and player’s relationship. It’s a relationship where most of our one-on-one conversations happen during practice sessions,” Gambhir added.
Gambhir reveals inside conversation with Sanju Samson after benching him for 4 games in T20 World Cup Inside Sport India.
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