Dinesh Karthik hailed Sanju Samson as one of the most captivating figures in Indian cricket, adding that his fan following rivals that of icons like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has praised Sanju Samson for commanding unwavering support from fans despite a career marked by fluctuations. In a high-pressure, must-win clash against the West Indies, Samson rose to the occasion at Eden Gardens, delivering an innings that blended composure with authority. Opening the batting, he anchored the pursuit of a stiff 196-run target with remarkable control, finishing unbeaten on 97 off just 50 balls. His knock not only silenced critics but also powered India into the semi-finals, underlining his ability to respond when the stakes are highest.
Karthik called Samson one of Indian cricket’s most fascinating figures, saying his fan following rivals that of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. He noted that despite enduring intense expectations and repeated setbacks, Samson’s poise and resilience continue to endear him to supporters.
“Sanju Samson is a fantastic story, I feel. Yes, he played that wonderful innings. He is someone who has always been an enigma. People have loved him. He is, for me, the most loved cricketer. Virat, Rohit, Dhoni, he seems to have that kind of fan following. There is something about how he carries himself. What I’ve liked in that story is that he has seen plenty of ups and downs. The weight and burden of expectations has not been easy on him, even though he is so talented. That day, that ground, after the three months he had, they almost had to thrust him in, and he did what he did in Calcutta,” he said on Sky Sports Cricket.
Sanju Samson set a series of world records after powering India to a five-wicket win in a last-over thriller against the West Indies during the 2026 T20 World Cup Super 8 clash on Sunday (March 1) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The victory ensured India qualified for the semifinal, as the game was a virtual quarter-final, with the loser set to be eliminated from the competition.
Samson played a knock of 97 runs in just 50 balls after opening the batting. His knock came at a strike rate of 194. It saw him hit 12 boundaries and four maximums. He scored the winning runs. No other Indian batter has even managed to make more than 27 runs (Tilak Varma). The difference of 60 runs is the highest difference between the first and second-highest run-getters in a T20 World Cup innings for India in history.
Overall, Samson’s knock is the fourth-highest individual score by a WK-batter in a T20 World Cup innings in history, behind Brendon McCullum, Jos Buttler, and Nicholas Pooran.
Moreover, Samson’s knock is the highest by a WK batter in a T20 World Cup run chase against the West Indies. The previous record belonged to Kumar Sangakkara (68), who set it in the 2010 edition at Barbados.
Moreover, Samson’s knock of 97 is the highest individual score by a batter against the West Indies while chasing in T20 World Cup history. He broke a record Herschelle Gibbs set 19 years ago in the first-ever T20 World Cup match in 2007.
Samson’s knock of 97 is also the highest-ever individual score while batting second by a WK batter on Indian soil in a T20I. His knock of 111 against Bangladesh (batting first) is the record for the most runs by a designated glovesman in India during a T20I. He is the only keeper-batter to make two knocks of over 90 runs in the shortest format of the game in India.
Quite incredibly, this was Samson’s first-ever half-century in a run chase despite making his debut in 2015.
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