India, March 9 -- Sanju Samson's T20 World Cup 2026 ended with the Player of the Tournament award in his hands, but the scale of his campaign was perhaps best captured by the kind of praise that followed from two of Indian cricket's biggest batting names. During the final itself, as India batted first and threatened to break the game open, Sachin Tendulkar picked out Samson's clarity of thought. Hours later, after the title had been sealed and the tournament honours handed out, Virat Kohli offered a warmer, more personal tribute, calling him the "most well-deserved man of the tournament".

Together, the two reactions framed Samson's run in the competition in the most complete way possible. Sachin's words spoke to the method. Kohli's spoke...