Sanju Samson has a similar fan following to that of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni: Dinesh Karthik

Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has heaped praise on the swashbuckling Indian opening batter Sanju Samson, who scored an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies to propel India to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports Cricket, Karthik asserted that Samson has a following similar to that of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni, adding that he is the most-loved cricketer.

“Sanju Samson is a fantastic story, I feel. Yes, he played that wonderful innings. He is someone who has always been an enigma. People have loved him. He is, for me, the most loved cricketer,” Dinesh Karthik told Sky Sports Cricket.

“Virat [Kohli], Rohit [Sharma], [MS] Dhoni, he seems to have that kind of fan following. There is something about how he carries himself. What I’ve liked in that story is that he has seen plenty of ups and downs. The weight and burden of expectations has not been easy on him, even though he is so talented. That day, that ground, after the three months he had, they almost had to thrust him in, and he did what he did in Calcutta,” he added.

Furthermore, the former keeper-batter reckoned that the Indian team management should have gone ahead with Samson as the opening batter despite his poor form just for the sake of match-ups.

“I would have gone for him purely for matchups. Off-spinners were really troubling India. They were constantly not getting those starts that they get. The pitches have been hard but they want to live up to the reputation and that did not work. Off-spinners troubled Abhishek. He did not have the conviction that he normally has. I feel that’s got to do with the fact that he got ill at the wrong time. I can look at him and feel like he lacks a bit of muscle,” he concluded.

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