Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 11 (ANI): India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson expressed heartfelt gratitude after playing a key role in India's successful campaign at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, saying the moment felt like the realisation of a long-cherished dream that he once believed had slipped away.

Samson scripted a comeback for ages during the recently-concluded T20 World Cup as he battled inconsistency and benching to emerge as India's leading run-getter in the tournament, delivering clutch performances when it mattered the most, with a string of half-centuries from the virtual quarterfinal against West Indies to the title clash against New Zealand.

The keeper-batter was also adjudged Player of the Tournament for his consistent performance, where he amassed 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, hitting 27 fours and 24 sixes and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the T20 WC.

He also surpassed Virat Kohli's total of 319 runs in the 2014 T20WC edition to have the most runs by an Indian during a single T20WC edition.

Speaking in a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Samson admitted that he had always dreamed of achieving such a milestone for the country but never imagined it would unfold in the way it eventually did.

'Unbelievable, I think I already said before, I had the dream to achieve this, but I didn't know it would happen so exactly in this current moment. So very grateful. I absolutely don't have words for it, to be very honest. I know, I think genuine prayers and genuine wishes are very powerful, and when they are given by such a huge crowd, I think I can't ask for more. I think they definitely, genuinely wish and pray for me,' Samson said.

India, who defended their T20 World Cup crown by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs, became the first team to win the marquee event three times since its inception in 2007 and the first to successfully defend the title in consecutive editions.

Reflecting on the support he received from fans across the country, Samson said the prayers from supporters meant more to him than any personal achievement.

'I think that is much, much bigger than anything for me in this life. I want to thank each and every one of you out there who has wished for me, who has prayed for me. Thank you so much, and this means the world to me. You definitely can have a dream, you can definitely think that that's what you want to achieve, but you can't plan the way to get there. That is something only one person can do. I actually lost it,' Samson added.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter had a challenging home T20I series against the Black Caps, where he amassed just 46 runs across five matches. Samson revealed that he thought his dream was broken after the New Zealand series.

'I think I left it alone after the New Zealand Series. I thought my dream was broken. I actually wanted to do this, wanted to be the man for India in this World Cup, but after the New Zealand Series, I thought that I didn't utilise my opportunity, and the dream is broken. But I think the world and God's grace, things turned around, and I'm very happy that what has happened here,' Samson concluded. (ANI)