'I will contribute...' - Sitanshu Kotak reveals hard conversations with Sanju Samson after T20 World Cup 2026 win

The Indian batting Coach Sitanshu Kotak opened up about the conversations they had with Sanju Samson during the T20 World Cup 2026. Samson, who played three match-winning knocks during the tournament, didn't get to play in the first few games as the management decided to go with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair.

However, to make a change in the left-right combination in the top-order, the management brought in Samson into the playing XI before the Zimbabwe match in the Super 8 where he scored 26 runs. Following that, he scored 97*, 89, 89 and helped India win the tournament. 

"I always used to tell Sanju, 'Sanju, you don't know - sometimes in two or three days, an injury or form issue could come up, or even a combination issue may appear. So you have to be ready.' He has so much experience, but he would laugh and say, 'Arey Kotsi bhai, don't worry. Whenever the team needs me, I will contribute,'" said Sitanshu Kotak. 

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Ek toh hundred karna hai: Sitanshu Kotak

Sitanshu Kotak also mentioned about how he encouraged Samson to score century but the player was more into the team game and not into personal milestones. There are times when Samson was encouraged to score century but he brushed it by saying 'it's not about personal milestones.'

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"I told Sanju, 'Ek toh hundred karna hai' (you have to score one hundred). He replied with a smile: 'On one hand you say it's not about personal milestones, and on the other, you say I should score a hundred. How are both things possible?"" Kotak said.