Thiruvananthapuram

Pinarayi Vijayan hosted Indian cricketer Sanju Samson at his official residence, Cliff House, praising his standout performance in India’s victorious ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

In a post on X, Vijayan described Samson as a source of pride for both India and Kerala, conveying the “love and joy” of the people of the state and wishing him continued success.

Had the pleasure of hosting India's pride and Kerala's own, Sanju Samson, at Cliff House yesterday. Conveyed the profound love and joy of the people of Kerala. May he draw strength from his recent achievements and continue to scale new heights. Wishing him the very best!… pic.twitter.com/rFaZxLo8Pp

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) March 17, 2026

Samson played a pivotal role in India’s title-winning run and was named Player of the Tournament. He scored 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and an explosive strike rate of 199.37, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament.

The wicketkeeper-batter also surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 319 runs in the 2014 edition to register the highest runs by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup.

After a slow start in the tournament, Samson found form with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in a crucial Super Eight clash. He followed it up with back-to-back scores of 89 in the semi-final against England and the final against New Zealand.

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India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs on March 8 to defend their title, becoming the first team to win consecutive T20 World Cups (2024 and 2026) and the first to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, 2026).