India, March 13 -- Sanju Samson is not the typical Indian cricketing superstar. He's never played a Test. He made his one-day debut in 2021 but has featured in only 16 matches, and none since 2023.

The talisman of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 13 years, he's the kind of player who seemed destined to be known more for league exploits than national heroics.

Sanju Samson, 31, is now the toast of the country after back-to-back-to-back knocks in the virtual quarterfinal, the semi-final, and the final of the T20 World Cup. His story, in a nutshell, is the running theme that both binds and exemplifies India's 2026 history-makers, a rag-tag bunch of swashbucklers who have not only become the first team to defend th...