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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hosted Indian cricketer Sanju Samson at his official residence, Cliff House, in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala CM heaped praise on Samson for his hefty contributions to India's T20 World Cup 2026-winning campaign.
In a post on X, Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his delight in hosting Sanju Samson, praised him as a source of pride for India and Kerala and also wished him continued success in the future. "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," he said in the social media post. Sanju Samson was key to India's victorious finish at the World Cup and was named the Player of the Tournament. Samson amassed 321 runs in five innings in the tournament at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, hitting 27 fours and 24 sixes and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the T20 WC. He also surpassed Virat Kohli's total of 319 runs in the 2014 T20 World Cup edition to have the most runs by an Indian during a single T20 World Cup edition. While Samson could not make big scores in his first two matches of the World Cup, the right-hand batter kicked off his scoring spree with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the final Super Eight clash, and a virtual knockout. He then piled on 89 against England in the semi-final and another 89 in the final against New Zealand. Coming to the T20 World Cup 2026, India beat New Zealand by 96 runs on March 8 to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title. The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, the first to win consecutive titles after their 2024 win, and the first to lift the trophy three times (2007, 2024, and 2026). (ANI)
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