Sanzhou SamsonThe standout performer and Man of the Tournament in India’s 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup victory admitted that he still wakes up in disbelief that he won the title in his homeland. However, he believes India’s steady stream of emerging talent will ensure more wins in the coming years.“Not yet, when I get up in the morning I still think, ‘did this really happen’. To be honest, that’s what it feels like. But I feel that in the coming years, with the quality of players in our country, it will happen again. The number of players who take the field in India will definitely do it more and more frequently,” Samson told broadcasters at the meeting. BCCI The awards were presented in New Delhi on Sunday.Samson’s performance in the game was outstanding. Despite not being part of India’s starting XI, he scored 321 runs in just five innings with a strike rate of nearly 200. His innings included a 97* against West Indies in the Super Eights, followed by 89 in the semi-finals against England and the final against New Zealand.Looking back on his journey, Samson said: “You can only dream of where you want to go, but you can’t definitely be on the path to it. So my life or my career is one of the best examples. I wanted to do it a few years ago. I wanted to win the World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, it was more like a movie. I loved it. I loved it.”“As I said before, I wanted to do something like this and then I was pulled out of my journey and then all of a sudden, the team wanted me to contribute and that’s when something mentally shifted in me… I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all on me.“But at the World Cup, the focus is on the team and what the team needs. In the Zimbabwe game, from that moment on, everyone expected me to contribute. I have a role to play. So that’s when the shift happened and we were confident, okay, “The team needs you, Sanju,” let’s do your best. So that’s how it all started.“Then I have the experience and I work mentally. I work physically so I know I’m ready and I know what this means for me, so I just have to do what I know best.”The story of Samson is not the only story of perseverance. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who joined the team in place of the injured Harshit Rana, described his journey to a second T20 World Cup medal as almost miraculous. “I didn’t make the initial squad, then I got it, played one game and now I’m part of two World Cup-winning teams. I would say it’s a miracle for me,” he said.
