Ashwin backs Samson to end T20 WC on a high
What's the story
Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Sanju Samson to end the T20 World Cup 2026 on a high note. The final is scheduled against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Samson has been in phenomenal form throughout the tournament, winning back-to-back Player of the Match awards. He scored an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in a virtual quarter-final and an 89-run knock against England in semi-final.
Match-winning innings
Will Samson hit a hundred in the final?
Samson had a chance to score a century against England but chose to prioritize the team's needs. He ended up losing his wicket to Will Jacks. Ashwin believes that if Samson can handle Matt Henry's opening spell, he could score his first T20 World Cup century on Sunday. "Earlier, I manifested that Samson would finish the World Cup with three centuries. Now I think one century would be enough" said Ashwin on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat.'
Tournament progress
Samson's journey in T20 World Cup 2026
Samson didn't start India's T20 World Cup campaign but made his debut after Abhishek Sharma fell ill. He scored 22 runs against Namibia. After Abhishek recovered, Samson was replaced by the game against Pakistan. However, due to two left-handed batters' struggles against off-spinners, he returned as an opener and scored 24 runs off 15 balls against Zimbabwe in Super 8s stage.
Player of the tournament
A look at his T20 World Cup numbers
In T20 World Cup 2026, Samson has scored 232 runs in four matches. He is India's third-highest scorer, behind Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. The ICC has also nominated him for the T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament award. Other nominees include England's Will Jacks, Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan and South Africa's Aiden Markram among others.