India’s T20I opener Sanju Samson has hailed Virat Kohli as ‘great inspiration’ ahead of the Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Sri Lanka. Kohli scored a magnificent knock of 139 runs off just 88 balls with the help of 10 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 157.95 against the Windies on Sunday. He added 151 runs with skipper Shubman Gill to put in a commanding position in the run-chase of 296.
The veteran also became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15000 ODI runs and he got to the milestone in 74 innings quicker than the Master Blaster. This was Kohli’s 55th ODI century and his 86th International ton.
Speaking to the media, Sanju Samson said, “I think we are very, very fortunate to have someone like him. Whenever he scores runs, whenever he turns up to practice or play a game of cricket for our country, I think it’s a great inspiration for people like us still playing for the Indian national team. Everyone definitely benefits from the way he puts in the performances. So, I’m very happy.”
On the other hand, the Kerala batter said the strong domestic circuit has helped India in developing the potent bench strength across all formats.
He concluded, “It’s a known fact nowadays how strong Indian cricket has grown over the last so many years. There has been constant effort. Definitely, the IPL plays a huge role, but I feel our domestic cricket is also playing a huge role. We have been constantly making great efforts to go out and play all the domestic matches whenever we get a chance, and that’s where we tend to develop a lot of talent.”
Samson scored two fifties against Afghanistan and would look to carry the good form into the Asian Games.
