Sanju Samson speaks to me in Punjabi, says opening partner Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma said Sanju Samson speaks to him in Punjabi when they open the innings for Team India.

Abhishek made the remark in the presence of Sanju during an India Today Conclave. The duo played a huge part in India’s 96-run win over New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on March 8.

“There's no language barrier anytime we have spoken,” Abhishek said. “Whenever he speaks to me, he tries to speak in Punjabi. I think he is very good in Punjabi.” Sanju hails from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

“It starts with English probably, then Hindi, and once I'm feeling a little bit tense or emotional, the Punjabi comes out,” said the No 1 T20 batter. Abhishek gave an example: “I ask, 'Sanju bhai, uda dhoon', and he says, 'haan haan chak de chak de'.”

The duo stitched a 98-run partnership, which was the highest between openers in a T20 World Cup final. Abhishek smashed a 21-ball 52, while Sanju scored 89 off 46, setting the foundation for a massive total of 255/5.

The young opener from Amritsar also hailed his senior partner, Sanju, for being a supportive figure on and off the field. “Sanju bhai ... is very sorted, very loving guy, very caring guy. Once you have these kind of players in your team, you feel like you have someone behind you. On and off the field, someone to support you, so that's always been Sanju Samson for us.”