New Delhi [India], April 3 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing Keralam karyakartas on Friday, praised India's star batter Sanju Samson for his T20 World Cup heroics.

PM Modi highlighted how Samson's focus, confidence, and intensity peaked during crucial knockout matches, exemplifying the qualities of a true player who delivers when the team needs him most.

Sanju Samson was key to India's victorious finish at the World Cup and was named the Player of the Tournament.

'Today cricket season is going on, and for the people of Kerala, this is also something to learn. Like we often see in the performance of Sanju Samson, we saw Sanju Samson in the World Cup. As the crunch situation came in the tournament, the knockout stage came, and his performance suddenly reached its peak. From start to finish, his focus, his confidence and his intensity kept increasing. This is the identity of a true player. When the team needed him the most, he showed his best. This is the identity of a true player, ' PM Modi said.

Samson amassed 321 runs in five innings in the tournament 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 T20 World Cup edition to have the most runs by an Indian during a single T20 World Cup edition.

While Samson could not make big scores in his first two matches of the World Cup, the right-hand batter kicked off his scoring spree with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the final Super Eight clash, and a virtual knockout.

He then piled on 89 against England in the semi-final and another 89 in the final against New Zealand.

Coming to the T20 World Cup 2026, India beat New Zealand by 96 runs on March 8 to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title.

The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, the first to win consecutive titles after their 2024 win, and the first to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, and 2026). (ANI)