Sanju Samson is not shy of taking help from one of India's greats.
A viral video, doing the rounds on social media ahead of the T20 World Cup, shows the India batter in deep conversation with Yuvraj Singh, soaking in batting tips from one of the most influential figures of India's modern white-ball era.
At a defining phase of his career, the quiet counsel of Yuvraj, captured in a fleeting nets video, could yet prove to be the edge Samson has long been searching for.
Yuvraj's reputation as a sounding board and mentor for young batters is well established. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma are the most prominent examples. Both spent time working with the great all-rounder before breaking through at the highest level.
Gill has since gone on to become India's Test and ODI captain while Abhishek has locked down a spot as a first-choice T20I opener, feared for his powerplay brutality.
Following the 2024 T20 World Cup and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements, the Kerala batter finally found sustained backing at the top of the order.
Entrusted with the opener's role in T20Is, Samson responded with a productive run -- 559 runs in 18 matches at an average of 32.88 and a blistering strike rate of 178, embellished with three centuries and a half-century.
But a reshuffle saw him pushed back into the middle order, and eventually out of the XI altogether, as Gill reclaimed the opening slot and was elevated to vice-captain. Gill's subsequent loss of form and an untimely injury, however, reopened a familiar door.
Samson walked through it, regaining the selectors' confidence and sealing a place in India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
The competition, though, remains unforgiving.
Ishan Kishan is very much in the frame after a standout Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2025, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden title and piled up over 500 runs in 10 matches. The race for opening slots is far from settled.
As India prepare to defend their T20 World Cup crown, Samson will be expected to marry intent with consistency alongside Abhishek Sharma at the top. His immediate audition comes in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting January 21, before the global event gets underway on February 7.
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