File photo of Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma© X (Twitter)
India's victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign didn't feature wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in any many. Despite the fact that Rishabh Pant was making his return to the national side after a long injury layoff, Team India decided to stick with him over picking an in-form Samson. However, right before the final against South Africa, India captain Rohit Sharma had asked Samson to be ready as there was a big chance he would be playing in the title clash. However, it all changed just minutes before the toss.
In an interview, Samson revealed that he was preparing to play in the final for India before Rohit informed him that the team was going with the same XI.
"I had a chance to play the final. I was told to stay ready. I was ready. However, they decided before the toss that we would go with the same team. I was like, no worries. I was in that type of mood," Samson told journalist Vimal Kumar during a chat.
After the playing XI was decided Rohit spent a good amount of time with Samson explaining the decision.
"During the warm-up, Rohit took me to the side and started to explain to me why he was making that decision. He was like, You understood, na? You know his way, very casual? I told him, 'Let us win the match and then talk.' You focus on the match."
He later said, "He came back one minute later and said, 'I know you are cursing me in your mind.' I think you are not happy. I feel like you have something on your mind. Then we had a discussion. I told him, 'As a player, I want to play'."
Samson even informed Rohit that he didn't want to let go of the opportunity to not feature in a final under his captaincy. This is a regret he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
"Since childhood, I wanted to come here and do something. Then he was like, 'My pattern is like this' and all that. I said I totally respect that you came and explained me. I said, 'I will have a regret; I could not play a World Cup final with a leader like you.' This will be a regret in my heart that I missed a World Cup final with a leader like Rohit Sharma. That will stay in my life."
However, a thought that changed Samson's mind was the fact that instead of giving the selected XI members his time, Rohit chose to spend time with the player who wasn't even part of the team for the final. This side of Rohit made Samson respect him even more.
"After this, I thought, such a big thing like a World Cup final. Before the final, you have changed your decision. You spent 10 minutes with the player that is not playing just before the toss. He gave me 10 minutes before the toss. After that, I got to know this person has some other qualities.
"If I were in their place, I would be thinking about the players who are playing or my batting. I will explain to Sanju later; that is what normally you think. At that point, he thought 'I have to explain to Sanju, why I took that decision.' At that point, he won a place in my heart that will stay for a lifetime."