'Nee po mone Dinesha' - Sachin Tendulkar gives a funny reply to a question about Sanju Samson

Sachin Tendulkar turned to a well-known Malayalam film dialogue to sidestep a pointed question about his private conversations with Sanju Samson, drawing wide attention on the subreddit where he held an Ask Me Anything session.

A Reddit user posed the question directly to Tendulkar on the platform, asking, 'Sanju said he was in constant touch with you for months and had long conversations with you during the T20 WC.. What did you tell him?' Rather than revealing the contents of those conversations, Tendulkar replied with, 'Nee po mone Dinesha! Sanju will tell you what it means.. 😜'

The phrase comes from the Mohanlal-starring Malayalam film Aaram Thampuran and translates humorously into English as "Go away, boy, Dinesh!" Tendulkar's use of the line was a playful deflection, keeping the details of his guidance to Samson firmly private while still entertaining the audience on the forum.

The question itself was rooted in something Samson had said publicly after India's title defence at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking to former West Indies captain Ian Bishop following the tournament, Samson said, 'For the last couple of months, I have been in constant contact with Sachin sir. Getting guidance from someone like him — what more can you ask for?'

Earlier moments linking Tendulkar and Samson

Samson had strong reason to acknowledge that support. He finished the T20 World Cup 2026 as one of India's most prominent performers, scoring 321 runs across the tournament, which included three consecutive half-centuries. He was named Player of the Tournament for his efforts as India successfully defended their title.

The final of the T20 World Cup 2026 was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8, 2026, with India facing New Zealand. Tendulkar himself praised India's showing in that match, highlighting Abhishek Sharma's crucial half-century alongside contributions from Samson and Ishan Kishan in posting a formidable total.

The connection between Tendulkar and Samson is not new. Back in IPL 2020, Tendulkar publicly praised Samson's 74-run knock from 32 balls against Chennai Super Kings, describing it as featuring clean striking with all proper cricketing shots. Samson had thanked Tendulkar for those words at the time.