2 min readMar 14, 2026 11:06 PM IST
The Indian opening partnership did not give the quickfire starts at the start of the World Cup as they did before the showpiece events in the bilateral series. A change was made mid-way through the tournament, and Sanju Samson was brought into the side, and India’s fortunes changed from there on. His partner in crime, Abhishek Sharma, gave insights into Sanju’s personality said that the Kerala cricketer is a “very loving guy.”
“Sanju bhai has always been a very sorted guy. Very loving guy, very caring guy. You know, once these kinds of players you have in your team, you feel that you have someone behind you. So that’s always been Sanju Samson for us,” Abhishek said to India Today.
Samson, after getting his opportunity in the playing XI after sitting out the initial part due to poor form, struck form. Apart from the game against Zimbabwe, in the game against West Indies in the final Super 8 game, semifinal against England, and final with New Zealand, he blazed with superb half-centuries, scoring 97,89 and 89 respectively.
Abhishek himself did not have a good start to the tournament; barring a couple of half-centuries, the southpaw had diminishing returns. “It is not easy to digest. I had a plan, the only goal was to win ICC trophies for the country. Going through this tournament, it was not the start I wanted. But the team was doing well. My dream was to win the tournament. My goal is not to win only one tournament, but many,” Abhishek said.
Samson’s selflessness
Samson’s childhood coach, Zubin Bharucha, speaking to this publication, spoke about Sanju’s selfless nature. “Sport, at its most competitive, demands a certain selfishness. An inward focus. A willingness to put yourself first. These things don’t come naturally to Sanju. He is, by instinct, all about other people’s comfort — which makes him a remarkable leader, but which also created friction in those periods when the cricket demanded something harder from him.”
