There was an unusual sight in India’s training session, on the eve of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against South Africa. Sanju Samson, who had yet to feature in a single match, batted for over two hours of a three-hour net.The Quint was in attendance. Among the things a journalist is supposed to do at a practice session is draw inferences. The inference available that evening seemed obvious: Samson would play against the Proteas.Yet, at the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar Yadav quashed that theory. Smiling at the idea of incorporating Samson in the team, he firmly announced — neither Abhishek Sharma, nor Tilak Varma could be dropped.The question, then, was — why did Samson bat for two hours?This team! Next Stop: Semi-finals ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup Semi-Final 2 #INDvENG | THU, 5 MAR, 6 PM pic.twitter.com/CEMSGouFlO— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2026T20 World Cup: Cometh the Hour, Cometh Sanju Samson as India Qualify for SemisSitanshu Kotak Sheds Light on Sanju Samson’s Selfless SideNow that he has made himself the first name on the team sheet, courtesy of a match-winning unbeaten 97 against West Indies in what was a virtual quarter-final, The Quint asked Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, about the reason.In a candid acknowledgement, Kotak highlighted the selfless nature of the keeper-batter. With South Africa boasting of in-form right-handed batters, especially captain Aiden Markram, the Indian bowlers wanted to bowl to a right-hander. Barring Samson, every other batter in the net on that day was a leftie — Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma.Kotak told us:Sitanshu KotakSanju is very professional. I will tell you a fact. On that day, he was not supposed to bat. Surya came up to me and said “Kotak bhai, can you please ask Sanju to bat? Our bowlers need to bowl to a right-hander.” Sanju is that good (a person). Unfortunately, only 11 can play, and the best 11 plays on the day. But even when he was not playing, Sanju has been brilliant.Samson’s knock of 50-ball 97 was the highest score by an Indian batter while chasing in this competition, and the sixth-highest overall. Courtesy of his knock, India ensured their highest successful chase in the T20 World Cup.Speaking about his knock, Kotak added:Sitanshu KotakSanju is such a class player. His performances are great. When there is a slight bad patch in T20, it feels like he is looking for runs or not. But by giving him some time — because not a single player plays like an average player all the time — that phase was due at some point. And fortunately for us, he batted really well.A massive record for Chetta! After carrying the bat through the innings, Sanju Samson reacts to breaking Virat Kohli's chase record as Team India make their way to the semi-finals! ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup Semi-Final 2 #INDvENG | THU, 5 MAR, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/F89kX9zCf3— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2026Ranji Trophy: Today, Jammu & Kashmir Belongs to CricketSeldom Do You Get Emotions From SamsonThe bad patch Kotak refers to has been the central, uncomfortable subplot of Samson’s career for the past fourteen months. Between the start of 2025 and this match, his T20 international average was 17.44 — lower than Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, and Ravi Bishnoi, none of whom are specialist batters.Ideally, a player would prefer a fixed batting slot when runs are not flowing in any case. Samson, though, has always been the man to further his team’s case. In this period, he has found himself being shuffled across in the batting order — from opening, to number three, and even number 5.It has taken him an unprecedented knock to establish his position in the team.After the inning, he did not conceal his emotions.Sanju SamsonIt means the whole world to me. Right from the day I started playing, started dreaming of playing for the country, this is the knock I was waiting for. Had a very special journey. Had a lot of ups and downs. Kept doubting myself, thinking — will I make it? But I am thankful to the almighty for blessing me today. This is one of the greatest days of my life.T20 World Cup 2026: Inside the Renaissance of the West Indies Cricket TeamPatience Has Finally Paid OffLike Kotak, Suryakumar Yadav also referred to Samson’s work ethic and patience as the key contributors to his comeback.Suryakumar YadavI always say good things happen to good people who wait. Sanju has a lot of patience. All his hard work, what he has been doing behind the doors when he hasn't been playing, he has got the fruits for it at the perfect stage.Head coach Gautam Gambhir might not have always shown faith in Samson while selecting his XI, but he has always had faith in his potential. Around six years ago, he had tweeted:"Sanju Samson is not just the best wicketkeeper bastmen in India but the best young bastman in India! Anyone up for debate?"Today’s knock, hence, was an I-told-you-so moment for Gambhir. Reflecting on the inning, he said:Gautam GambhirSanju — he is a world-class player. We all know how good a player he is. It was all about backing him, and when the team needed him the most, today was probably the day where he showed his true potential as well. Hopefully this is the time for him to kick off — probably two more games to go, hopefully. ❤️Sanju Samson's match-winning knock at #T20WorldCup had appreciation flowing from both the camps Relive his special innings https://t.co/qFTEJaMN6q pic.twitter.com/2xNXzVWNys— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) March 1, 2026Long May It ContinueSamson also has a unique gift. Though he batted at a strike rate of 194, he never seemed to be in a rush. Elegant as always, it seemed that all of his 12 fours and four sixes were effortless.Gambhir pointed that out as well.Gautam GambhirI actually thought that he never really accelerated the innings — it was just very normal cricketing shots, and I never saw any muscling of the ball, and that is the kind of talent he has. When you know you are in control of the game and you are feeling good, he was hitting the ball really well in the nets, and it is about going into the middle and showcasing that skill that you have. I have always said he is a world-class player, a great talent, and hopefully he can kick off from now, and hopefully we can see a lot more innings like this from Sanju.Hopefully, Samson does kick off from here. For, when he is batting well, barring the opposition team, the entire cricketing fraternity smiles.