Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It ended with Sanju Samson scripting one of the finest knocks of the T20 World Cup 2026. During India’s virtual quarter-final against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Samson was at the centre of a hilarious moment involving Rinku Singh — and the video has since gone viral. With drinks called, Rinku and Kuldeep Yadav, who were not part of the playing XI, walked onto the field. Samson handed his bat to Rinku while he refreshed himself. But after returning the towel, he forgot to take the bat back and started walking towards the pitch. Realising the slip, Samson turned back and said “mera bat” before taking it from Rinku, as all three burst into smiles.
Minutes later, the smiles turned into applause.Samson smashed 97 off just 50 balls, pulverising the West Indies attack with 12 fours and four sixes to guide India to a five-wicket win in the must-win Super Eights clash. The victory sealed India’s place in the semifinals, where they will meet England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.Such was the impact of the knock that India captain Suryakumar Yadav doffed his cap as Samson walked back to the dressing room.“I always say good things happen to good people and at the right time. No better time, no better stage for someone like him to step up and give the team what the team required.“The moment he came into the side, I think the first thing which he said amongst the group when we sat together was, ‘let’s do something which the team wants, not what you want,” Suryakumar said in a video posted by the BCCI on social media on Monday.Reflecting on Samson’s turbulent year — losing his place, batting out of position, and fighting his way back — Suryakumar added:“I always say good things happen to good people and at the right time. No better time, no better stage for someone like him to step up and give the team what the team required.“That comes with experience and also over his life, he’s seen so many ups and downs. I don’t want to take you back to what happened in the whole year – losing his position, batting out of position, and then coming back batting at the same position.“It’s not easy to win the World Cup. The World Cups, the ICC tournaments, the games which you play in ICC tournaments are won by courageous people, and this was a courageous knock. He can already get carried away by a good start, but then the way he was batting, he held one side together, took the team through.“He deserves all the credit. I’m very happy for him, his wife, his family back home, and all the people who love him, support him. We’re just one more step closer. Hopefully, this may continue. I have a lot of things to say, but then, I’m very happy. He deserves everything,” he elaborated.In between the emotional praise, Samson cut in with a cheeky response that summed up the mood.“Rulayega kya pagle? (Will you make me cry?),” said Samson to Suryakumar, as the duo burst into laughter.
