Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], March 10 (ANI): Kerala's Leader of the Opposition, VD Satheesan, praised cricketer Sanju Samson, hails from the State, on his contribution to Team India's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026-winning campaign, which saw them defeat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Samson, who was out of form in the series against New Zealand before the World Cup and also struggled to find rhythm in the first two matches that he played in the tournament, soared back delivering three back-to-back match-defining knocks.

In India's must-win Super 8s clash against West Indies, Samson scored an unbeaten 97 to guide India home while chasing a 190-plus total. He backed it up with a crucial 89-run knock in the semifinal against England. In the finals again, Samson contributed heavily to India's win against New Zealand by scoring 89 while India batted first.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader Satheesan, expressed pride at Samson's performances in the World Cup, calling the cricketer a close friend of his.

'We are all proud of him. He is a very close friend of mine, also. I am very much proud of him,' Satheesan said.

Samson made 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, with 27 fours and 24 sixes, and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. He also surpassed Virat Kohli's total of 319 runs in the 2014 T20WC edition to have the most runs by an Indian during a single T20WC edition.

Samson also joined Virat and Shahid Afridi in an elite list of batters with fifties in the T20 World Cup semifinal and final both.

The Men in Blue beat New Zealand by 96 runs on Sunday 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)