Sanju Samson in action (Source: AFP)
Sanju Samson once again made history, this time on Sunday during India’s high-octane T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, taking place at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The 31-year-old, who has made a dreamy redemption in the middle of the ongoing T20 World Cup, has set a record no other player has held in the history of the tournament.
Samson smashed a six in the first over against Namibia before being dropped from the playing XI. He came back in the Zimbabwe match, and did the same there. In fact, he kept on doing the same against England as well as against New Zealand, becoming the first player to smash four sixes inside the first six balls (on different occasions) in one single edition of the tournament.
Sanju Samson Gives India Blistering Start
Just like every other game, Samson gave India a wonderful start in the all-important final against New Zealand. Abhishek Sharma gave him the required support this time, racing to 30 runs off 12 balls, as India went to 63/0 in 4.3 overs. Samson, at the time of writing, is batting on 25* off 15 deliveries.
Most Sixes in the First Over of a T20 World Cup Innings
- 4 - Sanju Samson (India)*
- 3 - Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Phil Salt (England)
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Highest Powerplay Scores in T20 World Cup Knockouts
- 92/0 by India vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad, 2026 (Final), Tonight*
- 84/0 by New Zealand vs South Africa, Kolkata, 2026 (SF)
- 67/0 by England vs New Zealand, Delhi, 2016 (SF)
- 63/0 by England vs India, Adelaide, 2022 (SF)
More importantly, Samson and Abhishek became the first pair to register a 50+ partnership as openers in the finals. The previous best, which was held by Kamran Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan, was 48. That came during the 2009 Pakistan versus Sri Lanka final.
India Eyeing 3rd T20 World Cup Title In Ahmedabad
Having already won in 2007 and 2024, India are looking to win the T20 World Cup title for the third time in 2026. They won under the leadership of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who made headlines just before the game.
While Samson is still going strong, making 38* off 22 balls, India lost Abhishek Sharma after his fiery 21-ball 52. Their opening partnership broke when 98 runs came to the board, that too within 7.1 overs.
Now, time will tell whether India can break the curse of the Narendra Modi Stadium, where they had a heartbreak in 2023 after defeat against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup final. Nevertheless, they won the T20 World Cup batting first in 2007 and 2024, and hence, whether history will repeat itself or not, will be known in a few hours.
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