"Chettan 2026 thookki.”
This phrase alone could sum up Sanju Viswanath Samson’s power-packed T20 World Cup campaign. Through the tournament, he did not merely perform — he lorded over.
Malayali cricket fans watching the India vs New Zealand final on Sunday must have felt a surge of pride when commentator Ravi Shastri, in his unmistakable baritone, pointed out a pattern. Every time India reached the final of a T20 World Cup, there was a player from Kerala in the squad.
In 2007, it was S Sreesanth. In 2024, and now again in 2026, it was Sanju. India won each of those finals.
This time, however, it felt different. This time, ‘Chettan’ was not just part of the squad. He was at the heart of the story.
From being repeatedly benched to smashing his way back into the reckoning, Sanju scripted a comeback worthy of every dreamer who refuses to quit. Each time the ball soared off his bat into the stands, it carried the stamp of redemption.
His crucial runs in the last three high-pressure matches powered India into the final and ultimately toward the trophy. Winning the Player of the Tournament award only sealed what had already become an unforgettable campaign.
Just two years ago, during the 2024 World Cup, Sanju spent the tournament on the bench. In 2026, he marched back into the top order and eventually walked out to open — exactly where he believed he belonged.
With calm assurance, quiet confidence and his ever-present smile, he delivered when it mattered most.
Then came another moment for the history books.
Sanju broke Marlon Samuels’ record to register the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final. Over the course of the tournament, he smashed 24 sixes — the most in a single T20 World Cup campaign — surpassing Finn Allen’s previous record of 20.
He also became only the third batter in history, after Virat Kohli and Shahid Afridi, to score a fifty in both the semifinal and the final of a T20 World Cup.
Sanju also became the highest-scoring Indian in a single edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, surpassing Virat Kohli’s long-standing 2014 record of 319 runs.
‘King’ Kohli lauded the achievement on Instagram: “What a remarkable tournament from the most well-deserved Man of the Tournament. You performed when it mattered the most. Really happy for you, Chetta.”
The journey, however, had not been smooth. After a difficult New Zealand series earlier in the year, Sanju had been left out of the playing XI for a few matches.
Rohit Sharma, the captain who lifted the trophy in 2024, walked up to him, hugged him and said: “Don’t be disheartened. It’s a long tournament. You will get your chance.”
After receiving the Player of the Tournament award, he reflected on his journey: “Two years ago, when I was with the 2024 World Cup team in the West Indies, I didn’t get to play a single game. But I kept visualising. I kept dreaming. I kept working…. I am proud I was courageous enough to keep dreaming.”
Practice – school – practice
At 31, Sanju’s triumph stands as a message to every dreamer who refuses to abandon hope, no matter how arduous the road becomes.
Because this victory did not begin inside a stadium. It began years ago at the Medical College ground in Thiruvananthapuram, where a young Sanju travelled nearly 25km daily from his home in Vizhinjam to attend practice.
The discipline, determination and humility he carried from those early days are precisely why he remains a darling of Indian cricket.
His childhood coach, Biju George, still remembers the effort the young boy put into his game. “Sanju, who was 11 at that time, would come along with his brother Sally to the Medical College ground for coaching. Every morning, he would take the 6am bus to reach the ground. After practice, he would bathe under the tap there, change his clothes, and go straight to school,” he recalls.
“In the same way, he would come directly from school in the evening for practice. That is how much hard work he had been putting in from that age. He was talented. I knew he was special, I was 100 per cent sure about that. His first turning point came after an outstanding performance in Under-13 cricket — Kolkata Knight Riders called him for a camp.”
Pandemic powerplay
Former Kerala captain Raiphi Vincent Gomez, who later became a mentor and close confidant, recalls watching Sanju grow from a teenager into a leader. “I have been seeing him play since he was 12. At that time, we had a senior-junior relationship. After I retired, I got a chance to be part of his journey as a mentor,” he says.
During the pandemic, when cricket across the world had come to a halt, Sanju would practise range hitting on the terrace of Raiphi’s house in Nalanchira.
In the third T20 against Bangladesh in 2024, Sanju smashed five consecutive sixes. After the match, he acknowledged Raiphi’s role.
“We had discussed this many times — about hitting sixes,” Raiphi says.
“In 2010, I had done the same for the Kerala team. I knew Sanju could do much more at the international level. I gave him that idea, and he executed it well. He is an ace at six-hitting and range-hitting now.”
Daddy Cool
Raiphi also highlights the role of Sanju’s father, Samson Viswanath in shaping the ‘special’ cricketer.
“From a very young age, Sanju had this discipline, sportsman spirit, and never-give-up attitude instilled by his father,” Raiphi recalls.
“His father played a huge role in shaping him as a cricketer and as a person. That foundation is what helps him stay calm in every situation. His father deserves a lot of appreciation for that.”
And the proud father is on cloud 9. “I knew he would do it,” Samson gushes. “I knew he would become an integral part of the Indian team. He worked that hard for it.”
The man who first placed a bat in Sanju’s hands when he was just three years old still remembers the dreams he once carried. “I introduced cricket to my two sons when legends like Sachin and Dravid were playing for India. It was my dream... I had once told Sanju that I had a vision of him being among India’s top cricketers. I am overwhelmed seeing the world celebrate him today.”
Buddy bonding
Rahul Raghavan, a close friend who played with Sanju from their early days, shares the same pride. “I first saw him in September 2007 when we were playing Under-13. I was the district team captain, and Sanju was the wicketkeeper,” he recalls.
“That is where our bond started. After Under-13, we played for South Zone. Later, in the Kerala state team, he became my captain.”
Rahul recalls one of the earliest signs of Sanju’s brilliance. “That was when Sanju amassed 972 runs in nine innings — a record that still stands in Kerala cricket,” he says.
“From the Under-13 days itself, we all knew this guy was very special. We knew he would reach somewhere big for sure.”
Their friendship, Rahul adds, has remained unchanged through the years.
“Sanju is someone who maintains bonds. Last month, when he was in Dubai, he called us there. Whenever possible, we catch up. The friendship is still very much like the U-13 days. He hasn’t changed. Everyone is genuinely happy for him because of this down-to-earth nature.”
Echoing the others, Rahul adds that he is certain that “this is only the beginning”.
“He still has a lot more to do for India. He will.”
Amen to that!
‘Special’ story
Made his Kerala Ranji Trophy debut at 15, scored only 3 runs vs Vidarbha, but later bounced back with a century against Himachal Pradesh.
In the U-19 Asia Cup 2013 final, scored a century vs Pakistan
Made his IPL debut in 2013 for Rajasthan Royals. Became the youngest player to score an IPL fifty (18 years) and won the Best Young Player award in IPL 2013. Later, he became the youngest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs.
In IPL, Samson has 4,704 runs in 177 matches (average 30.95, strike rate 139.05), with three tons and 26 fifties.
Samson made his T20I debut in 2015 against Zimbabwe and ODI debut in 2021 against Sri Lanka. He has played 59 T20Is (1,221 runs, average 25.97, strike rate around 140) and 16 ODIs (510 runs, average 56.66). He holds three T20I centuries.
In T20Is, he has 38 catches and 7 stumpings; in ODIs, 9 catches and 2 stumpings.
Holds the record for the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper (89) in ICC T20 World Cup knockout games, beating M S Dhoni’s record of 36 against Australia in 2007.