Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted a century from Sanju Samson in the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. The remark comes after Samson’s back-to-back match-winning knocks of 97* against West Indies and 89 versus England, with Ashwin backing him for a “grandest finish” if he survives the early bowling spell.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted a big knock from Sanju Samson in the Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.
Samson produced two back-to-back match-winning performances, which earned him the Player of the Match award. In India’s must-win Super 8 clash against the West Indies, the Kerala batter played an unbeaten 97-run knock not only to help the hosts to chase down the 196-run target but also seal their spot in the semifinal.
In the semifinal against England, Sanju Samson yet again delivered a masterclass performance, playing a brilliant knock of 89 off 42 balls, including 8 fours and 7 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 211.90, helping Team India propel to a solid total of 253/7, which was eventually defended by restricting England to 246/7, securing a thrilling seven-run win to qualify for the final.
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‘We Are In For A Grandest Finish’
Sanju Samson is expected to hog the spotlight in the final against New Zealand, given his two consecutive match-winning performances. Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted a century from the Kerala cricketer in the summit clash in Ahmedabad.
Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin revealed that he manifested Samson scoring three centuries in this World Cup, but backed him for a ‘grandest finish’ with a century in the final if the batter manages to negotiate the early spell from Matt Henry.
“Earlier, I manifested that Samson would finish the World Cup with three centuries. In the first game, he scored 97; in the next, 89. Now I think one century would be enough. He did not have a great bilateral series against New Zealand,” the 39-year-old said.
“If Sanju Samson finds answers to Matt Henry just like he found against Jofra Archer, I don't think we can see anybody stopping Sanju. We are in for a grandstand finish, and I wish him to do that,” he added.
Samson was initially not in India’s plans for the playing XI in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. However, Abhishek Sharma’s stomach infection paved the way for the Kerala cricketer’s World Cup debut against Namibia, where he scored 22 off 8 balls. Thereafter, Samson featured in a Super 8 clash against Zimbabwe, where he again provided an explosive start and scored 24 off 15 balls.
Can Samson Finish Off in Style?
With his two consecutive match-winning performances, Sanju Samson has emerged as one of India’s key batters heading into the title clash against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. From being on the bench to becoming a match-winner, the Kerala batter has scripted a remarkable turnaround ahead of the final.
The 31-year-old is expected to retain his place as an opener in the playing XI and will look to provide an explosive start at the top. In the semifinal against England, Samson scored 44 off 21 balls in the powerplay, setting the tone for Team India’s massive total on the board. The team management will expect Sanju Samson to take up the responsibility of dominating the powerplay and anchor the innings in the middle overs.
Sanju Samson’s two back-to-back match-winning performances pushed him to become India’s third leading run-getter of the tournament with 232 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 77.33 and an astonishing strike rate of 201.73 in four matches. Samson’s strike rate is the second-highest with a minimum of 100 runs in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup.
With form and confidence on his side, Samson will now aim to deliver one more match-defining performance and potentially script the “grandest finish” predicted by Ravichandran Ashwin on the biggest stage.
