Indian T20I opening batter Sanju Samson has stated that the current Indian crop of players is very lucky to have the Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli in the dressing room and called him a great inspiration for fellow cricketers.
Samson, who is currently plying his trade for Team India in the Asian Games 2026 event, has showered praise on the veteran Indian batter and added that everyone definitely benefits from the way he puts up his performances.
“I think we are very, very fortunate to have someone like him. Whenever he scores runs, whenever he turns up to practice or play a game of cricket for our country, I think it’s a great inspiration for people like us still playing for the Indian national team. Everyone definitely benefits from the way he puts in the performances. So, I’m very happy,” Samson said.
While Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls in the first ODI against the West Indies, propelling India to an eight-wicket win in Trivandrum, he scored 29 runs off 19 balls in the second ODI in Guwahati.
Further, Samson credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket for playing a huge role in India fielding multiple teams at the same time. While India is playing ODIs at home, the T20I side is in Japan for the Asian Games. Simultaneously, India A and India U19 sides are playing against their Australian counterparts.
“It’s a known fact nowadays how strong Indian cricket has grown over the last so many years. There has been constant effort. Definitely, the IPL plays a huge role, but I feel our domestic cricket is also playing a huge role. We have been constantly making great efforts to go out and play all the domestic matches whenever we get a chance, and that’s where we tend to develop a lot of talent,” he added.
