'Kept doubting myself, thinking will I make it?': Sanju Samson after playing the 'greatest knock' of his life

T20 World Cup 2026: Persistence has finally paid off for Sanju Samson, as he steered India to a 5-wicket victory in a do-or-die game against the West Indies in the Super 8 fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing 196, India needed Sanju to step up, and he met the demand by playing the innings of his life. He scored an unbeaten 97* in just 50 balls, an innings which will definitely go down as one of the best a batsman has played at the iconic Eden Gardens.

Sanju Samson redeems himself with a match-winning knock vs West Indies

For those who have closely followed the career of Sanju Samson, they know the ups and downs the player has endured over the years. He has been in and out of the squad for a prolonged period and encountered heavy criticism for squandering opportunities. But it is a new dawn for the right-handed batter as he justified his selection this time and silenced his critics by emerging as the lone match-winner in a high-pressure virtual knockout match.

A relieved Sanju expressed his thoughts after the match and thanked the Almighty for giving him the strength to win the match for India today. He reflected on his career and stated that he dreamt of an innings like this ever since the start of his career.

"It means the whole world to me. Right from the day I started playing, started dreaming of playing for the country, this is the knock I was waiting for. Had a very special journey. Had a lot of ups and downs. kept doubting myself, thinking will I make it? But I am thankful to the almighty for blessing me today."

As he has been a part of the circuit for long, Sanju shared the learning he received from Indian cricket's greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni.

"I've been playing this format for many years. Learned from a lot of greats like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni. That helped with my experience. I've noticed how the greats play, and seeing how they change their game according to situations."

Lastly, about his game, he revealed that when batting first, he looks to take the charge from ball one, but today it was about playing responsibly.

"Last game we were batting first so i was going from ball one, but this game it was different. Every time I tried to go too high we were losing wickets. Didn't think I would play this special knock, but yeah this is one of the greatest days of my life. Just stayed in the present, played the ball on merit."