Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie was surprised by Sanju Samson’s limited ODI appearances after the latter’s heroics in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The Kerala batter capped off an incredible second half of the tournament, after missing out on selection in the initial stages, scoring a hat-trick of half-centuries.
Samson scored twin 89s in the semifinal and final against England and New Zealand to help India clinch their second consecutive T20 World Cup trophy. Yet, even with his stellar white-ball record and prowess, the right-hander has played only 16 ODIs since debuting in the format in 2021.
Talking about Samson on the Fast Bowling Cartel, Gillespie said (14:40):
“He ended up being the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He came home with a wet sail at the backend of the tournament. It surprises me how few ODIs he has played for India. But he deserves a lot of credit for what he did.”
Gillespie’s former Australian teammate and pace-bowling legend Glenn McGrath also praised Samson for his even-keeled personality.
“The thing I like about Sanju Samson is how relaxed he is. His expression never changes. He looks like he’s too cool. He is a bit of a Mark Waugh kind of character. I would say he is between a Mark Waugh and a Damien Martyn,” said McGrath.
Samson boasts an outstanding ODI record, averaging over 56 at a strike rate of almost 100 in 16 matches. He finished as the third leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2026 and the Player of the Tournament with 321 runs at an average of over 80 and a strike rate of almost 200.
“That banana skin game India had refocused them” – Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie believes the Super Eights loss to South Africa worked in India’s favor, allowing them to refocus on the task at hand in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Men in Blue suffered a shocking 76-run defeat to the Proteas in their opening Super Eight clash, following an unbeaten run in the group stage.
“They didn’t even need Suryakumar Yadav in the final, which shows what a team effort it was. It was South Africa’s tournament until the semifinal. That banana skin game India had refocused them and reminded them not to get too up and about. It was a reality check and wasn’t a bad thing from India’s perspective,” said Gillespie (via the aforementioned source).
After the loss to the Proteas, the Men in Blue won their final four games, including a thumping 96-run win over New Zealand in the final.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran