In a startling revelation, Sanju Samson said he was supposed to play the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa but was excluded from the XI moments before the toss in Barbados. Samson, who did not feature in any of the World Cup matches, said captain Rohit Sharma informed him about his and spent at least 10 minutes before the toss, trying to explain the rationale behind the last-minute change in India’s XI.
“I had a chance to play the final. I was told to stay ready. I was ready. However, they decided before the toss that we would go with the same team. I was like, no worries. I was in that type of mood,” Samson told journalist Vimal Kumar in an interview.
India picked Rishabh Pant as their keeper-batter throughout the tournament. The left-hander, who was making a comeback to international cricket after a long injury layoff, played some important knocks in difficult conditions in the group stage that took place in the USA but could not make any significant contribution to India’s cause in the business of the tournament which moved to the Caribbean islands. India played with the same XI in the Super Six stage and the knockouts.
Samson said Rohit walked up to him during the warm-ups before the final broke the news about his exclusion from the XI but came back again, trying to explain the reasons behind it.
“During the warm-up, Rohit took me to the side and started to explain to me why he is making that decision. He was like, You understood, na? You know his way, very casual? I told him, ‘Let us win the match and then talk.’ You focus on the match.”
He added, “He came back one minute later and said, ‘I know you are cursing me in your mind.’ I think you are not happy. I feel like you have something on your mind. Then we had a discussion. I told him, ‘As a player, I want to play’.”
