Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed pride in Indian cricketer Sanju Samson after his remarkable performances during India’s title-winning campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Tharoor revealed that Samson called him on his birthday, describing the wicketkeeper-batter as India’s “World Cup hero”.

Taking to social media platform X, Tharoor wrote that he was delighted to receive the birthday call and congratulated Samson on his outstanding achievements during the tournament.

Birthday call and heartfelt praise

Sharing his appreciation online, Tharoor said he felt extremely proud of the cricketer from Thiruvananthapuram.

“Delighted to receive a birthday call from Thiruvananthapuram’s and India’s World Cup hero Sanju Samson,” Tharoor wrote, adding that words could not fully express his pride in the player’s accomplishments.

He also wished Samson success in the upcoming Indian Premier League season with Chennai Super Kings.

Redemption story in the World Cup

Samson’s World Cup journey was widely described as a redemption story. After initially missing out on opportunities in the playing XI and facing criticism over inconsistency, the batter delivered match-winning performances in the crucial stages of the tournament.

He scored a sensational unbeaten 97 against the West Indies national cricket team in a virtual quarterfinal match. Samson followed it up with two crucial knocks of 89 runs against England national cricket team in the semifinal and New Zealand national cricket team in the final.

Record-breaking campaign

Samson finished the tournament with 321 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 80.25 and a strike rate close to 200.

During the campaign, he surpassed Virat Kohli to record the highest number of runs by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup edition.

His 24 sixes during the tournament also set a record for the most sixes hit by a batter in one T20 World Cup.

Joining elite company

With fifties in both the semifinal and final, Samson joined an elite list of players that includes Shahid Afridi and Virat Kohli.

The Kerala cricketer also matched records held by players such as Mahela Jayawardene, Babar Azam, and KL Rahul by registering three consecutive 50-plus scores in the tournament.

His performances played a crucial role in India securing their third T20 World Cup title.