'I was broken': Sanju Samson exposes Gautam Gambhir’s ‘mental torture’ during T20 World Cup 2026

India opening batter Sanju Samson recently opened up about his emotional struggles during the early stages of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The wicketkeeper-batter stated that he isolated himself to rebuild his confidence before the team management called him into the playing XI for must-win matches.

Samson could not find a place in the India playing XI for the initial matches. However, he staged a remarkable comeback and won the Player of the Tournament award. The right-handed batter scored 321 runs in just five innings at a strike rate of 199.38 and helped the team secure the T20 World Cup trophy.

I Was Absolutely Broken Because My Dream Was… - Sanju Samson

Speaking at the India Today Conclave on Saturday, Sanju Samson revealed his mindset during his time on the bench. The Kerala batter said that he was desperate to contribute to the team.

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“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," Samson said.

"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.”

I Was Not Very Comfortable With It - Sanju Samson

The opening batter also admitted that he was not very comfortable with competing for a place in the team during the New Zealand series in January. Samson said that he prefers playing for the team rather than fighting for individual selection in the playing XI.

“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.”

Samson delivered three consecutive match-winning knocks in the tournament. He scored 97 runs against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, 89 against England at the Wankhede Stadium, and 89 against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.

The Team Management Had Trust In Me - Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson was recalled to the playing XI during the Super Eight match against Zimbabwe in Chennai. He did not score big in that match, but the India team management backed him and remained in the XI for the next four matches of the T20 World Cup 2026.

“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.”

Also read: Rohit Sharma’s real age declared as 34 ahead of IPL 2026