Kerala Cricket League: Sanju Samson is letting his bat do all the talking
Sanju Samson has lit up the Kerala Cricket League with his explosive batting display. He played another impressive knock against Adani Trivandrum Royals on Thursday. Opening the batting, the skipper hammered 62 off 37 in the ongoing 15th match of the KCL against Adani Trivandrum Royals. He hit four fours and five sixes, striking at over 160. Samson stitched a 68-run opening partnership with V Manoharan and then a 48-run stand with Nikhil Thottath for the fourth wicket. By the time he got out, the team had raced to 127 inside 15 overs. Courtesy of another outstanding knock, Kochi Blue Tigers have posted 191 in the first innings.
Samson has been brilliant since the game against Aries Kollam Sailors. He smashed 14 fours and seven sixes en route to a match-winning knock of 121 off just 51 balls at a strike rate of 237.25. The next game saw him tearing apart Thrissur Titans, smashing 89 off 46 at 193.48. On Thursday, he scored his third consecutive fifty of the tournament.
Thanks to his belligerent hitting, he is the second-highest run-getter in the ongoing edition, only behind Ahammed Imran.
Samson has 522 runs in 17 innings as opener for India in T20Is
His fortunes in T20I internationals took a turnaround in the third T20I of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. When on song, Samson makes you sit back and admire his effortless display of hitting. That was one such day. Samson smashed 111 off just 47 balls. He hit eight sixes in that innings.
His century steered India to their highest-ever total in T20I history. India posted a mammoth total of 297 and won that game by 133. That’s the kind of impact he makes when he gets going, and it’s one of the reasons why he is currently in the Indian team. He has always said that he wants to play to make an impact and win games.
The template would be the same. Not every time it will work, but when he gets going, Samson makes sure he wins matches for his team. Samson’s brilliant run-scoring display in the South Africa T20I series was also one of the reasons why he has been picked in the Asia Cup squad. He scored two centuries in a four-match T20I series.
Sanju Samson has incredible numbers as an opener for India in T20 internationals. In 17 innings, he has scored 522 runs at an average and a strike rate of 32.62 and 178, respectively. However, despite all the heroics, he might not feature in India’s playing XI in the Asia Cup.
Sanju Samson will not feature in the playing XI: Aakash Chopra
With the inclusion of Shubman Gill as vice-captain in India’s Asia Cup squad, there has been a lot of debate around India’s opening combination for the tournament. With Abhishek Sharma in ominous form and Gill being picked as the vice-captain, many believe that Sanju Samson might not be featured in the playing XI.
Former cricketer and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra also offered a similar viewpoint. He believes that Abhishek Sharma will open with Shubman Gill.
“With Shubman Gill’s return, Sanju Samson’s fate has more or less been sealed. He will not feature in the playing XI now. You will not drop Tilak Varma or Hardik Pandya, which means Samson sits out and Jitesh Sharma will likely get the nod again. One thing is very clear from this selection, the batting slots have been prioritised over personalities. With Gill coming in as vice-captain, he will definitely play and open the batting. This essentially pushes Sanju Samson out of the XI,” Aakash Chopra remarked.
Samson, meanwhile, isn’t too keen on listening to the outside noise and prefers to let his bat do all the talking.
