'I can feel the pulse of a player': Rohit Sharma explains exact reason behind his viral pep talk to Sanju Samson

Rohit Sharma gives exact reason behind giving a pep talk to Sanju Samson before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Sanju Samson is the toast of the town following his two match-winning knocks in the T20 World Cup 2026. He first rose to the occasion in the must-win Super 8s match against the West Indies, hitting an unbeaten 97, and then backed this performance up with a solid 89-run knock against England in the crucial semi-final. After the right-handed Samson took India over the line against the Windies, the ICC's official social media handle shared a video of Rohit Sharma encouraging Samson before India's first match of the tournament against the USA, in which the Kerala batter did not feature in the playing XI. "Dukhi mat ho bhai. It is a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai. ("Don't be disheartened. It is a long tournament. You'll get your chance. The opportunity can come anytime)," Rohit had told Samson while hugging him.

Rohit Sharma gives a hug to Sanju Samson. (ICC/Screengrab)

It is worth mentioning that Samson did not start the tournament for India owing to his poor form in the previous five-match T20I series against New Zealand. However, the 31-year-old came back in the playing XI for the group stage match against Namibia after Abhishek suffered a stomach infection. He lost his place again once Abhishek regained fitness, but fate had other plans.

Samson returned to the side for the Super 8s stage, as management had had enough of the off-spinners troubling the Indian opening duo of Abhishek and Ishan Kishan. Ever since his comeback to the playing XI, Samson hasn't looked back and is in the running to become the Player of the Tournament.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, Rohit, also the tournament's brand ambassador, explained the exact reason he gave Samson a pep talk before the game against the USA. Rohit knows what it is to be on the fringes, having missed out on the home World Cup in 2011, and hence he leaned on personal experience to boost Samson's morale.

“I can sometimes feel the pulse of the player. I have been myself in that place where, you know, when I've been in a tournament like this, and my chances haven't come, it's important to stay focused and try and do the right things and not get frustrated with you not getting the opportunity, and that's what I felt with him,” said Rohit in a video shared on Instagram by the ICC.

‘Played a blinder’

Samson was also a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2024, but he did not get a single game. The batter is currently India's third-highest run-scorer in the 2026 edition of the World Cup, only behind Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.

Rohit said he felt for Samson when he didn't start in the lineup, but he made sure to tell him that funnier things have happened in the past and that a chance for him could come at any minute.

“Because he was consistently playing for India and then was dropped just before the World Cup started, you know, I just wanted to tell him that it's a long tournament and funny things have happened in the past, so I just wanted to reassure him that your chance would come. So it happened in the game where it was a crucial game for India, and he played a blinder,” said Rohit.

Samson is so far averaging 77.33 in the T20 World Cup 2026 with a strike-rate of 201.73. He has already won two Player of the Match accolades and has been shortlisted in the nomination list for the Player of the Tournament.