“Including Sanju Was Important”: Suryakumar Yadav Ahead of T20 World Cup Final
Ahmedabad: Suryakumar Yadav, captain of India national cricket team, praised the decision to include Sanju Samson in the playing XI, calling it a crucial move that helped turn matches in India’s favor. He made the remarks during the pre-match press conference ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad.
Suryakumar said Samson’s inclusion was necessary, especially considering the combinations the team had used earlier in bilateral series.
“In my view, bringing Sanju into the team was important. In the previous bilateral series, when we played with combinations like Abhishek, Sanju, and Ishan in the top three, we saw how beneficial it was. As soon as we brought him in, the momentum of the match changed completely,” he said.
Samson has been in outstanding form in the current T20 World Cup. In four matches, the Indian opener has scored 232 runs at an average of 77.33 with an impressive strike rate of 201.73. The right-handed batter also won Player of the Match awards in India’s last two games—the Super 8 clash and the semifinal.
He played a key role in India’s Super 8 victory over the West Indies national cricket team, scoring an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls*. He followed that performance with a blistering 89 off 42 balls in the knockout semifinal.
The Indian captain also highlighted Samson’s work ethic during the period he was not part of the playing XI.
“I think it was a positive decision for him. I saw how hard he was working. What matters most is what a player does when he isn’t playing. Even when he wasn’t in the XI, he was doing everything possible for the team. In the last three or four innings, he has batted for the team and is now getting the rewards for his effort,” Suryakumar added.
When asked about the kind of total India might target after scoring more than 250 runs in the semifinal, Suryakumar said the team would focus on adapting to the conditions rather than setting a fixed target.
“We will try to bat well. If we can score 200, 225, or even 250, that would be great. But we don’t come in with a fixed number in mind. If the wicket demands something different, we will play accordingly. We will adapt to the conditions and then defend whatever total we put on the board,” he said.
India will aim to defend their title on home soil and become the first team to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in front of their home crowd.
Squads
New Zealand:
Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
India:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav.
