T20 WC 2026 Final: Sanju Samson joins Virat Kohli to achieve unique record; can he be India’s lucky charm?

India’s Sanju Samson continued his remarkable run in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, scoring his third consecutive half-century during the final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. 

The stylish batter reached his fifty in just 33 balls, further cementing his impact in the tournament’s decisive stages.

Samson’s consistency has been one of the defining features of India’s campaign. Before the final, he had already delivered two impressive knocks, an unbeaten 97 against West Indies and a commanding 89 against England—making his third fifty in succession a significant milestone.

Joining an Elite Club

With this performance, Samson entered the exclusive list of becoming the third player to score half-centuries in both the semifinal and the final of a T20 World Cup after Shahid Afridi and India’s run machine Virat Kohli. 

The other two players to achieve this feat are Virat Kohli and Shahid Afridi. Kohli had scored 72 runs in the ICC World

T20 2014 semifinal against South Africa before following it up with a 77-run knock against Sri Lanka in the final. Afridi had also delivered two crucial half-centuries during Pakistan’s title-winning campaign in the 2009 T20 World Cup at Lord’s.

He also became the seventh batter in T20 World Cup history to register three scores of 50 or more in a single tournament.

India Post Mammoth Total

India dominated with the bat, with the top order dismantling New Zealand’s pace attack. Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Abhishek Sharma all scored half-centuries, putting the Kiwi bowlers under immense pressure.

Towards the end of the innings, Shivam Dube played a valuable cameo, helping India push their total to a formidable 255 runs.

Can India Defend the Total?

With such a massive score on the board, all eyes are now on whether the Men in Blue can defend the target. New Zealand will need to produce an extraordinary chase to script history and claim the title. The final outcome now hangs in the balance.