Sanju Samson’s see-saw journey from World Cup heroics to Afghanistan comeback
Srishti Bhattacharya, New Delhi
Sanju Samson has seen both sides of the noise that comes with playing for India. When he scores, the celebrations are loud. When a few innings do not go his way, the questions around his place in the team quickly follow.
On Tuesday, against Afghanistan, Samson had the perfect response.
After scoring only 10 runs in the first T20I, he walked out to open again in the second game and produced a blistering 57 off just 22 balls. He brought up his half-century in only 20 deliveries, helping India race through the chase and seal the three-match series 2-0.
It was the kind of innings that reminded everyone why Samson remains such a dangerous T20 batter. But more than that, it came at a time when he was once again trying to find his way back after a difficult period.
To understand why this knock mattered, it is important to go back to the start of the year.
At the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Samson was not part of India’s playing XI at the beginning of the tournament. When his opportunity arrived, however, he made it count.
Samson went on to score 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of over 199, playing a key role in India’s title-winning campaign.
His biggest performances came when the pressure was at its highest. Against the West Indies in the quarterfinal, he remained unbeaten on 97 off 50 balls. He followed it with 89 off 42 against England in the semifinal and another 89 off 46 against New Zealand in the final.
By the end of the tournament, Samson was named the Player of the Tournament as India lifted the T20 World Cup.
He then carried that form into IPL 2026 with Chennai Super Kings, scoring 477 runs at a strike rate of 165.62, including two centuries and a half-century.
But the story changed again once the focus returned to international cricket. Samson accumulated only 33 runs during the tour of the United Kingdom. Incidentally, during the England series, he played two matches before being left out of the playing XI, with the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi taking his place.
Samson returned for the series finale versus England but was subsequently not in India’s squad for the Zimbabwe series.
For a player who had been named the Player of the Tournament at a World Cup a few months earlier, it was another difficult phase. The Afghanistan series gave him another opportunity to start again.
In the first T20I, he managed only 10 runs off eight balls. Then came the second game, and Samson made sure he would grab the chance. Opening alongside Abhishek Sharma, he helped India race to 82 without loss in the powerplay. The pair added 50 runs in just 28 balls before Samson brought up his half-century in 20 deliveries.
He eventually fell for 57 off 22, but India had already taken complete control. They chased down 160 with 31 balls remaining to seal the series 2-0. It was another reminder that Samson’s best answers have often come with the bat.
His journey has gone from waiting for a World Cup opportunity, to dominating on the biggest stage, and then finding himself out of the team again. Through it all, the outside noise has remained.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Samson admitted that shutting that noise out is not always easy.
“I try to turn my Wi-Fi off,” he said with a laugh. But sometimes the Wi-Fi gets switched on and the comments and opinions get through. Samson said players are not robots and the outside noise does affect them.
For him, the key is to shut the outside noise because if he keeps thinking about what people will say after he loses his wicket, then the brain might give certain signals, “I cannot bat in this manner.”
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