'I was too desparate...' - Sanju Samson breaks silence on being left out of India’s Playing XI early in T20 World Cup 2026

Sanju Samson reflects on his exclusion from India’s playing XI during the early phase of the T20 World Cup, sharing how he handled the setback before making a strong comeback.

Sanju Samson (Image | BCCI on X)

India's star batter Sanju Samson opened up about the struggle during the T20 World Cup 2026 when he wasn't in the playing XI in the first few matches. He opened up about how he felt during that phase and what helped him overcome the situation.

Samson went on to play in the tournament and slammed 89 runs in the final game, helping India post 255 runs on the board. Talking about his journey, he revealed that he took a break of a few days to reset himself and then started practicing again for the tournament. Eventually, he did get into the playing XI and scored 97*, 89, 89 in the last three games.

“I was too desperate knowing that my dream is so near. But was the team still trying some combinations? So, is Sanju there or not there? So, that kind of feeling played in my mind at that time. I was absolutely broken because my dream was to win the World Cup and I am not even in the XI. So, actually I was gone away for 5-6 days and I started rebuilding myself. Started preparing myself knowing you never know what the game want to give back to you,” said Sanju Samson during the India Today Conclave on Saturday.

“I am the type of a person who do much better for others than doing things better for myself. In that series (against NZ), I was competing with my own people (for a place in the team) and I was not very comfortable with it,” he added.

Also read: Reports: KKR pacer Harshit Rana set to miss IPL 2026, replacement undecided

Mindset change which happened in my head: Sanju Samson

The star batter spoke about the mindset change that happened in his head during the World Cup. He got a chance against Zimbabwe and knew that the team needs him. Hence, he gave his best and performed in each and every match. Samson is an outstanding player and by scoring runs, he has cemented his place as an opener in the T20I team.

“I knew the team management had trust in me. When the World Cup came in I kind of figured out now that the team wants you, so that is the mindset change which happened in my head. So, right from the Zimbabwe game, we had to win four out of four matches and the team needs you. So, that’s when it became very positive for me, and I was very fired up,” he added.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav reveals dressing room conversation after Ahmedabad call in T20 World Cup 2026

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