New Delhi, March 14 – The legendary Ricky Ponting has identified India's decision to continue using wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson at the top of the order as one of the defining moments in their successful ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, saying the faith shown in him by captain Suryakumar Yadav and the coaching staff proved to be the key factor on the biggest stage.
Samson's tournament began in uncertainty – he had only scored 46 runs in five T20Is against New Zealand and only got to play in the league stage game against Namibia in New Delhi due to Abhishek Sharma's stomach infection. Samson was then recalled for a crucial Super Eights game against Zimbabwe, and from there, he responded with a campaign that ultimately earned him the Player of the Tournament award.
A blazing 97 not out in a virtual knockout game against the West Indies in Kolkata was followed by 89 in the semifinal against England in Mumbai and another knock of 89 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. His 321 runs across five innings are the most runs made by an Indian batter in a single edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup.
“For India to stick with him at the top there, that was a big call to make. It was a significant decision, but one that ultimately worked out really well. If you get the support of the coaching staff and the captain, then that's all you need.
“Just a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulder to say, ‘we're sticking with you, we believe in you.’ When you have the quality that Sanju has, and the confidence of the captain and coach behind you, that's when great things can happen,” said Ponting on The ICC Review show.
For Ponting, who captained Australia to the 2003 and 2007 ODI World Cup triumphs, Samson's resurgence, along with Abhishek coming good by hitting 52 in the final, also showed how good India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership skills were in bringing the best out of his players.
“It would have been really interesting to see how Surya interacted with Abhishek (Sharam) and Sanju (Samson) over the last few weeks. That’s where the real stories will come out on true leadership.
“It would have been really interesting to see how Surya interacted with Abhishek (Sharam) and Sanju (Samson) over the last few weeks. That’s where the real stories will come out on true leadership,” he added.
Ponting also noted that Suryakumar kept himself calm despite the ups and downs in his batting returns. Beyond an 84 not out off 49 balls against the United States of America (USA) in the opening game in Mumbai, the Indian captain managed to amass just 158 runs in his remaining eight innings, yet steered India to winning the title on home soil.
“It's about a lot more than what they do off the field, the things that people don't see and how they interact with their players. He didn’t have a great time himself as a player, but still, he’s standing at the end holding up a World Cup trophy.
“I know as a former captain, when you’re not batting at your absolute best, captaincy can become really difficult. And when you are batting well, captaincy can become really easy,” he concluded.