![\"'That's](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-129576844,imgsize-92756,width-400,resizemode-4\/ricky-ponting-speaks-about-team-india39s-t20-world-cup-winning-campaign.jpg\" "\\"Ricky")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting<\/a> has praised India\u2019s decision to back Sanju Samson<\/a> as an opener during their victorious campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. According to Ponting, the trust shown in Samson by captain Suryakumar Yadav<\/a> and the coaching staff played a major role in India\u2019s success.Samson\u2019s tournament did not start smoothly. Before the World Cup, he had scored only 46 runs in five T20Is against New Zealand national cricket team. He initially got a chance in the league match against Namibia national cricket team in New Delhi after Abhishek Sharma fell ill. Later, he was brought back for a key Super Eight game against Zimbabwe national cricket team and turned his tournament around with a series of brilliant performances.<\/p>\n IPL 2026 should be audition for the next India T20I captain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Samson played some crucial knocks as India advanced in the competition. He scored an unbeaten 97 against West Indies national cricket team in Kolkata, followed by 89 in the semifinal against England national cricket team in Mumbai and another 89 in the final against New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad. His total of 321 runs in five innings became the most by an Indian batter in a single T20 World Cup edition and earned him the Player of the Tournament award.\u201cFor India to stick with him at the top there, that was a big call to make. A big decision, but one that worked out really well in the end. If you get the backing of the coaching staff and the captain, then that’s all you need,\u201d Ponting said on The ICC Review show.\u201cJust a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulder to say, \u2018we’re sticking with you, we believe in you.\u2019 When you’ve got the quality that Sanju’s got, and the confidence of the captain and coach behind you, that’s when great things can happen.\u201dPonting also praised Suryakumar\u2019s leadership and how he managed his players during the tournament. \u201cIt would have been really interesting to see how Surya has interacted with Abhishek (Sharam) and Sanju (Samson) over the last few weeks. That\u2019s where the real stories will come out on true leadership.\u201dDespite not scoring heavily himself apart from an unbeaten 84 against the United States national cricket team, Suryakumar guided India to the title. Ponting concluded, \u201cIt’s about a lot more than what they do off the field, the things that people don’t see and how they interact with their players. He didn\u2019t have a great time himself as a player, but still, he\u2019s standing at the end holding up a World Cup trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n