Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 16 (ANI): Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar honored Indian cricketer Sanju Samson at Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday following the right-handed batter’s significant contribution to India’s T20 World Cup 2026-winning campaign.
In a post on X, the Kerala Governor said that Samson was honored by draping a shawl over him and presenting a kasavu mundu, an idol of Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and the autobiography “Playing It My Way” by Sachin Tendulkar.
“Hon’ble Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar honored Shri Sanju Samson at Lok Bhavan. The Governor received Sanju by draping a shawl over him and presented him a kasavu mundu and an idol of Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and the autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar, ‘Playing It My Way’,” the post read.
Samson played a key role in India’s emphatic finish at the World Cup and was named Player of the Tournament. He scored 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, hitting 27 fours and 24 sixes, and finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
He also surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 319 runs in the 2014 T20 World Cup to record the most runs by an Indian in a single edition of the tournament.
After modest scores in his first two matches, Samson began his dominant run with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the final Super Eight match. He followed it with 89 against England in the semifinal and another 89 in the final against New Zealand.
In the T20 World Cup 2026 final, India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs on March 8 to successfully defend their title.
The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, the first to secure consecutive titles following their 2024 win, and the first to lift the trophy three times in 2007, 2024, and 2026. (ANI)
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