New Delhi, March 15 Sanju Samson, whose performances fueled India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, asserted on Sunday that the country is poised to dominate global cricket for years to come.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in the capital, Samson also likened his performances during India's triumphant march to the title to a movie, and said he was still getting used to it.
"Not yet, I'm still like, actually, when I get up in the morning, I'm like 'has it really happened'. So, honestly, that's how I feel," Samson said when asked about last Sunday's triumph.
He added, "But I feel that in the coming years, with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. It's not going to be, you know, it has happened once in a while. The number of players coming up, and definitely India is going to do this more and more often."
Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings to lead India to the title.
Despite not playing initially, he delivered scores of 80-plus in the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies, the semi-final against England, and in the final against New Zealand.
Samson further said that he has been dreaming of helping India win a World Cup.
"Absolutely, I think you can only dream of where you want to go, but you can't definitely achieve it. So, my life or my career has been a great example. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago," Samson said.
"I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, it's like a movie. I enjoyed it," Samson added.
The unassuming star from Kerala has been working hard for years to make an impact on the game, and the T20 World Cup was his finest moment.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally shifted... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team. I think what does a team require. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute. I had a role to play.
"So that's when the shift happened, and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can the best. So that's where everything started from.
"And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this is meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best.
"So, I've been playing this format for a very long time, and then it was just about planning and going out there and executing it," Samson said.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj described the triumph as a "miracle" from a personal point of view as he was not even part of the initial squad for the tournament and was included only as a replacement for an injured Harshit Rana.
"I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it's a miracle for me," Siraj said.