Sanju Samson came into his own and showed his talent on the biggest stage possible, hitting an unbeaten 97 to take India to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. Against the West Indies, the right-hander mixed caution with aggression and spearheaded India's chase of 196. Such was the magnitude of the knock that Samson registered the highest score by an Indian batter while chasing in the T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli's 82 not out against Australia in 2016 and against Pakistan in 2022.
Samson's standing tall against the West Indies impressed even former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who stated that the right-handed batter has been flying under the radar in the entire 20-team tournament.
The wicketkeeper-batter lost his place in the playing XI in the group stages of the T20 World Cup after Ishan Kishan scored more runs than him in the previous series against New Zealand. However, the management were forced to bring back Samson after Abhishek Sharma and Kishan were hampered by the off-spinners inside the powerplay.
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“He was the one player for me who, over the course of the entire tournament, has gone under the radar: there was talk about him not even being in the squad. Then he was selected, and there was talk about who would play between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Ishan Kishan gets the nod and has an absolute cracker of a start to this tournament. Samson’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’m not going to get an opportunity; I’m not going to get a game'," said Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
{{/usCountry}}“He was the one player for me who, over the course of the entire tournament, has gone under the radar: there was talk about him not even being in the squad. Then he was selected, and there was talk about who would play between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Ishan Kishan gets the nod and has an absolute cracker of a start to this tournament. Samson’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’m not going to get an opportunity; I’m not going to get a game'," said Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
{{/usCountry}}"But what about his innings against the West Indies. 97 from 50 balls. He opens the batting—you talk about handling pressure moments, he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He’s definitely my player in the last couple of games to go under the radar. Without that innings, India don’t chase those runs, so he should be super proud,” he added.
‘Underrated’
Clarke also believes that Samson is underrated, and he deserves more chatter around him as he has the power and all the shots that are needed by a batter up top.
“I’ve always thought he’s underrated, certainly playing in the shorter formats and in Indian conditions. I think he’s built for stand and deliver. He’s got power, he’s got all the shots at the top of the order, and he maximizes the powerplay. He’s definitely my player that’s gone under the radar in the last few games. Well done to him," said Clarke.
Speaking of India, the Men in Blue will next face off against England in the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday, March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.