Suryakumar calls Sanju Samson a good man, praises selfless response when India place was under threat

Sanju Samson finished the 2026 T20 World Cup as Player of the Tournament, but it was something he did before his remarkable run that earned even more respect from India captain Suryakumar Yadav.Sanju had endured a difficult New Zealand series before the World Cup, while Ishan Kishan had forced his way into the selection conversation following an excellent domestic season.During that difficult period, Suryakumar had an honest conversation with Sanju on the team bus about his place in the side."Sanju experienced a bit of a dip there. We were sitting on the team bus discussing it, and I said, Chetta, it looks like it is going to be difficult the way things are going," Suryakumar told Aakash Chopra.Samson could have argued his case. He could have pointed towards his previous performances and asked why he was being left out.Instead, his response was all about the team."He said only one thing to me: Bhau, take whatever call you feel is right to help this team win the World Cup. Whenever you need me, I am right here. I will prepare exactly as if I am playing."That response stayed with Suryakumar."Hearing that gave me so much confidence at that time. It showed me the kind of people who exist in life," he said."Someone else might have argued, I have been performing for so long and scored so many runs, why are you not playing me? But his thinking was the exact opposite. His mindset was simply: take whatever call is the right call to win the World Cup."And when his opportunity eventually arrived, Samson was ready.He smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls against West Indies in a virtual quarter final, followed it with 89 off 42 against England in the semi final and then produced another 89 off 46 against New Zealand in the final.Samson finished the tournament with 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.38, helping India lift the trophy and earning the Player of the Tournament award.But for Suryakumar, it was the attitude Samson showed when he was not guaranteed a place that stood out."To come into the side midway through the tournament, play the final, win the World Cup for India, and become the Player of the Tournament... the respect I had for him went even higher," Suryakumar said."As I always say, good things happen to good people, and he is a good man."Samson eventually became the star of Indias World Cup triumph. But his willingness to put the team ahead of himself, even when his own place was under threat, perhaps tells you even more about the person behind the player.