Tell me what I can do? Surya reveals Sanju Samson's inspiring mid-World Cup question

T20 World Cup: India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that Sanju Samson had asked what he could do for the team despite starting the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup on the bench. Samson later emerged as India's biggest hero of the tournament.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed how Sanju Samson displayed a team-first mindset during India’s victorious 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign. Despite starting the tournament on the bench, Samson approached the captain with a simple request, asking what he could do to help the team.

Samson eventually emerged as one of the defining figures of India’s title-winning run, delivering match-winning knocks in the knockout stages. But his World Cup journey began away from the spotlight as India experimented with combinations early in the tournament. Speaking to JioStar’s ‘Follow The Blues’, Suryakumar explained how managing players who were not getting regular opportunities was one of the toughest aspects of leading the side.

“In this T20 World Cup campaign, the most difficult part for me was handling the players who don't get many opportunities to feature in the playing XI. Those who don't get chances, or get very few, I always felt I should spend more time with them,” Suryakumar said.

“The ones who keep playing are in autopilot mode. They know what to do. But those who can play at any time but don't get to feature in every game, it is difficult for them to switch on and switch off. So spending time with them and having constant talks was very important.”

“Sanju Samson did not start the tournament. He came in the middle and said one thing: ‘You just tell me what I can do for the team.’ That is the biggest blessing. Players like these, from number 1 to 15, everyone has a different story.”

The wicketkeeper-batter began the tournament outside the playing XI as the team management tried different combinations during the early matches. However, when the knockout stages arrived, Samson was handed a crucial role at the top of the order.