29th June marks a special day in the Indian cricket team as one year the Men in Blue created history at the Kensington Oval in Barbados by lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma's captaincy after beating South Africa by seven runs in a nail-biting final.

The victory marked a huge moment for Indian cricket as the country lifted the trophy for the first time in 17 years and only the second time in history following their triumph in the inaugural edition in 2007. It was also India's first ICC trophy in 11 years.

The Indians won the trophy unbeaten, marking the first instance of the same in T20 World Cup history. Infact, such was the dominance of Rohit's men that they used just 12 players in the competition, meaning three squad members did not play a single game in the tournament.

The only change India made in the tournament was between Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. While Siraj played all group stage games on the spicy pitches in the United States of America, the Men in Blue added an extra spinner in the form of Kuldeep for the Super 8 and knockout stages in the West Indies, where the pitches were slow and dry.

This meant that Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Sanju Samson had to watch the entire tournament from the bench.

With Rishabh Pant given the nod to bat at number three and be the first-choice wicket-keeper batter, Samson was benched.

However, Samson revealed that the team were contemplating making a change in the final and told him to be ready. However, the team reversed their decision 10 minutes before the toss and decided to play the same playing XI.

Samson revealed that Rohit Sharma had a long chat to him before the match about the decision. He also claimed he will regret not getting a chance to play on the big stage under Rohit's leadership.

"I had a chance to play the final. I was told to stay ready. I was ready. However, they decided before the toss that we would go with the same team. I was like, no worries. I was in that type of mood. During the warm-up, Rohit took me to the side and started to explain to me why he was making that decision. He was like, You understood, na? You know his way, very casual? I told him, 'Let us win the match and then talk.' You focus on the match."

"He came back one minute later and said, 'I know you are cursing me in your mind.' I think you are not happy. I feel like you have something on your mind. Then we had a discussion. I told him, 'As a player, I want to play.' said Samson in a chat with journalist Vimal Kumar in October last year.

"Since childhood, I wanted to come here and do something. Then he was like, 'My pattern is like this' and all that. I said I totally respect that you came and explained me. I said, 'I will have a regret; I could not play a World Cup final with a leader like you.' This will be a regret in my heart that I missed a World Cup final with a leader like Rohit Sharma. That will stay in my life. After this, I thought, such a big thing like a World Cup final. Before the final, you have changed your decision. You spent 10 minutes with the player that is not playing just before the toss. He gave me 10 minutes before the toss. After that, I got to know this person has some other qualities.

"If I were in their place, I would be thinking about the players who are playing or my batting. I will explain to Sanju later; that is what normally you think. At that point, he thought 'I have to explain to Sanju, why I took that decision.' At that point, he won a place in my heart that will stay for a lifetime," Samson added.

Post the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rohit announced his retirement from the shortest format alongside Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. In the new-look T20I side, Samson got an extended run and scored three centuries last year within a space of five games.

He is expected to be India's first-choice wicket-keeper batter in the 2026 T20 World Cup next year, when the Men in Blue will aim to defend the title under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy.

Samson is yet to make his debut for India in an ICC event match. The T20 World Cup was the first and only global tournament to date when he was selected in the squad.