Team India keeper-batter Sanju Samson arrived at his home town of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to a rousing reception from the fans. In a video uploaded by ANI on their social media platform of X, the star cricketer was received by Kerala Minister V. Sivankutty at the airport as he also gave Samson a bouquet of flowers. The 31-year-old was also surrounded by a plenty of police personnel.
Sanju Samson aggregates 321 runs in five matches of T20 World Cup 2026:
With India receiving a wake-up call following their loss to South Africa, they decided to change their batting order, bringing in Samson to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma and pushed Ishan Kishan to No.3. It proved to be a masterstroke. While the Kerala-born cricketer perished for a short and impactful cameo against Zimbabwe, he rose to the occasion massively against the West Indies, England and New Zealand. The right-hander struck an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in Kolkata to help the Men in Blue chase down 196 on what was a virtual quarter-final.
He carried on from his heroics in Kolkata to slam 89 against England in the high-scoring semi-final in Mumbai. With the hosts plundering 253 in their 20 overs, Jacob Bethell’s hundred took the Englishmen within touching distance of the target only to fall seven runs short eventually. Samson played another belligerent knock of 89 in the final against New Zealand as India amassed a match-winning total of 255 to win the one-sided contest by 96 runs.
Here’s the video uploaded by ANI of Samson arriving in Thiruvananthapuram:
#WATCH | Team India star and Player of the Tournament of #ICCT20WorldCup, Sanju Samson arrives in his hometown, Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Minister V. Sivankutty receives him at the airport. pic.twitter.com/cZ7J3AFnal
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2026
“I’m grateful for everyone who supported me” – Sanju Samson
Speaking at the post-game presentation, Samson singled out Sachin Tendulkar for consistently being in touch with him and giving him confidence, claiming:
“To be honest, there has been a lot of guidance and suggestions from senior players. A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. From the last couple of months – I hope I can share it here – I’ve been in constant touch with Sachin sir. I reached out to sir and had huge [long] conversations with him. Even yesterday [Saturday] night, he called me up to check how I am feeling. Getting guidance from someone like him – that clarity, game preparation, awareness and game sense – I’m grateful for everyone who supported me.”
Jasprit Bumrah earned the Player of the Match in the final for his haul of 4-0-15-4.
Also Read: India T20 World Cup Victory Parade: Date, Time, Route, Celebrations And All Details Revealed
