3 min readMumbaiMar 8, 2026 11:42 PM IST
India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson revealed that conversations with Sachin Tendulkar played a key role in helping him rediscover belief during a difficult phase, after he was named Player of the Tournament in India’s T20 World Cup triumph on Sunday.
The 31-year-old said he had been in regular touch with Tendulkar in the months leading up to the tournament, leaning on the legendary batter for advice and perspective.
“I hope I can share it here, from last couple of months, I have been in constant touch with Sachin sir. When I was sitting outside in Australia, I was not playing a game, so I thought about, ‘okay, what is the mindset required now?’
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“So I reached out to sir and I had big conversations with him, and even yesterday, he called me up to check ‘how am I feeling?’ If I’m getting guidance from someone like him, what more can I ask for? That clarity, that game preparation, that game awareness, that game sense.. I think I’m very grateful for everyone who supported me,” Samson said at the post-match presentation.
Samson said he was shattered after the New Zealand series when he was not in the playing XI, but admitted that God perhaps had different plans
“I think right after the New Zealand series, I was broken. I was completely out of my mind. I was like, ‘Okay, my dreams have shattered.’ What else can I do? But God had different plans. I suddenly came back into the crucial games, and I did what I could for my country. I’m very proud and very happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it. And actually, things have turned up so nicely for me,” he added.
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The turnaround, Samson explained, was rooted in preparation that had begun long before the tournament itself.
“I think this started a couple of years before when I was with the 2024 World Cup winning team in the West Indies. I couldn’t play a game. I kept on visualizing, I kept on dreaming, I kept on working. This is exactly what I wanted to do then. I needed to put in so much work that this is exactly what I wanted to achieve. And by God’s grace, I think today things have turned around,” Samson said.
Overwhelmed after receiving the award, Samson admitted the moment still felt surreal.
“It feels like a dream, actually. Very, very happy, very grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. I’m just going through it, so it feels a bit surreal,” he said.
