'He fought with everyone' - Legendary Pakistan pacer credits Gautam Gambhir for Sanju Samson's resurgence

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his persistence with Sanju Samson, crediting him and the faith shown as the reason for the wicketkeeper-batter’s success.

The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has scored 232 runs in four innings at an average of 77.33 and a blistering strike rate of 201.73. His two half-centuries include a masterful 97*, holding the innings together in the chase against West Indies in the final game of the Super 8 stage. Following that, his brilliant 89 off just 42 balls was the backbone of India’s ascent to 253 in the semifinal against England.

The former speedster highlighted Gambhir's determination in securing Samson's spot despite resistance.

"He has fought with everyone to get him into the team. His selection has been done forcefully," said Akhtar, speaking on PTV Sports.

He recalled Samson’s long wait after making his T20I debut in 2015 to now finally becoming a protagonist in the Indian team. He praises the lengths Gambhir has gone to keep Samson in the team.

"Even now, Gambhir has fought with everyone to get him into the team. Basically, his selection has been done forcefully and after a lot [of] scrutiny. He didn't feature in the tournament initially,” he added.

Gambhir himself addressed Samson's benching after a rough New Zealand series, calling it a much-needed reset.

 "I have always said that he is a world class player, he is a great talent and hopefully he can kick off from now and hopefully we can see a lot more innings like this from Sanju," the Indian head coach stated.

The wicketkeeper-batter has been nominated for the Player of the Tournament of the ongoing T20 World Cup, and India will hope he maintains his form in the summit clash against New Zealand on Sunday.