Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar urged Sanju Samson to work on his fitness, saying the experienced campaigner is not “in peak physical condition.” 2026 has truly been remarkable for the right-handed batter. Samson was named Player of the Tournament in India’s T20 World Cup 2026-winning campaign, and then began his stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with two centuries. However, as Samson continues to go from strength to strength, Manjrekar told him to follow Virat Kohli’s blueprint and work on his fitness to stay in the best possible shape for the next few years.
Manjrekar, who was speaking about how Suryakumar Yadav can regain his mojo, had the same advice for India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain and Samson. The former India batter said that Suryakumar’s downward spiral in T20s can be attributed to him not being in the best physical shape, and that was when he shifted his focus to Samson, telling the Kerala batter to walk in the footsteps of Kohli.
Manjrekar said that fitness is one controllable factor, and everyone needs to go the Kohli way to have proper longevity in a sport that keeps changing every year.
“I’m saying that about Sanju Samson as well, who’s also not a 25-year-old because he’s hit the peak of his achievements, just to sustain it. He could also do the same thing, because I see him also not being in peak physical condition,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast.
“When you have a great example, like Virat Kohli, who has had such a long career. You know, just because he’s given fitness so much importance. He’s had tremendous skills, but he’s made sure that the body doesn’t let him down. Because that’s the one you can control,” he added.
Samson plays yet another game-changing knock
The CSK batter was in top form against the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday night, steering the franchise in the 156-run chase. The right-hander played an unbeaten knock of 87 runs to help the five-time champions register an eight-wicket win. With this innings, Samson also entered the top five in the Orange Cap leaderboard, and his total runs tally is 402 runs in 10 matches.
Speaking of the match between Delhi and CSK, the former batted first and posted 155/7 in 20 overs. Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, returning with two wickets.
CSK then chased the total down with eight wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare. Samson and Kartik Sharma put on an unbeaten stand of 114 runs off 66 balls to help the five-time champions register their fifth win in the season. Kartik remained unbeaten on 41 off 31 balls.