Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 16 (ANI): Indian cricketer and Player of the Tournament of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Sanju Samson, said he has a ‘very old relationship with India head coach Gautam Gambhir’.Speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Samson said, “Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and I have a very old relationship. I think I met him when I was in KKR. He was the captain of the team and he also lives in Delhi. I also played in the same academy where he was…so it’s a very long relationship and what has happened from there till now, I think cannot be expressed in words.”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.The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter also revealed that he got a message from the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. “I got a message from Sachin, sir. It was a very emotional message for me,” said Samson.Team India made history by securing a record-breaking third T20 World Cup title and becoming the first-ever team to defend the title and win it as a home nation following a brilliant 96-run win in the final over New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.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.Samson stressed that he always wanted to be himself and has always looked at cricket as a team sport.”I never wanted to be selfless. I’ve always wanted to be myself. So I bring a lot of different qualities, a lot of strengths, a lot of weaknesses. I like to look at cricket as a team sport. So I think we play to win. And looking at what things have happened in my life lately, I definitely carry a lot of dreams with me. So a lot of youngsters, a lot of people, not even in cricket, a lot of people in different careers, they look at me like their own careers, like their own life,” Samson concluded. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)