Former Indian batter Sadagoppan Ramesh has heaped praises on Sanju Samson for playing to his potential and helping India win the virtual quarterfinal game against West Indies. Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 to help Team India chase down a target of 195 which is India’s highest ever run chase in the history of T20 World Cups. Samson, who was dropped from the team at the start of the WT20, made a grand comeback. He played the second game against Namibia when Abhishek was injured and he was dropped for the rest of the games. Once India lost the game against South Africa in the Super 8 stage, they went back to Sanju Samson and let him open the innings.
Sadagoppan Ramesh talked about Sanju Samson on his Instagram handle. He said
It was the first time he played to his full potential and won India a match. A player who should have been on top of the mountain was hovering around mediocrity for too long. He has the ability to reach greater heights from this point, and hopefully, he doesn't miss it. This was the knock of the World Cup. This is what fans have been asking from Sanju for a long time. If he plays to his potential like this, he can singlehandedly win so many matches."
He also added that Sanju Samson came out of the syllabus for West Indies. Speaking on the topic he said "West Indies must have focused mainly on Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. But an out-of-form Sanju came out of focus for them. They made a grave error by not focusing on him. There was a huge change in Sanju's batting last night. Normally, when he smashes a six, he will go for another boundary and lose his wicket in the 20s. But this time he took a single after a big hit and kept planning the chase over and over in search of a big innings."
Sanju Samson won the player of the match for his terrific 97 off just 50 balls and due to his innings India have qualified for the semi-finals. India will now face England in the Semi-Final of the 2026 WT20 which will be held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Sanju Samson has got a lot of praise from experts, fans and former cricketers for his match winning knock and it is safe to say that it is well deserved praise and one of the best knocks considering the pressure of the situation.
