While Sanju Samson is among the top 40 run-scorers in the world in T20 cricket with a total of 8,222 runs, the 31-year-old’s record in T20Is shows only 1,221 runs from his 60-match career. Having scored three centuries in T20Is for India, Samson registered his seventh fifty-plus score in the format with a 50-ball knock of 97 runs, guiding India to a five-wicket victory over West Indies in their last Super 8 match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. With India securing a semi-final spot following the win, all eyes have been on Samson, and former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the innings has not only lifted the weight off Samson’s shoulders but also off everyone who recognises the quality player he has been.
“This knock of 97 not only takes the weight off Sanju Samson’s shoulders, but off everyone who knows what a fine player he has been. He has had ups and downs, and we have felt them too because he is such a nice guy. Everybody wants him to do well. All Indian cricket fans will be happy that this sincere cricketer has got the success he deserves,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
While India has not seen an opening partnership last beyond the powerplay in this World Cup, Samson stood firm after fellow opener Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan departed inside the powerplay against West Indies on Sunday. With Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and later Shivam Dube providing support, the Kerala batsman guided India home with his unbeaten knock of 97 runs. Gavaskar highlighted how Samson’s presence at the crease ensured India did not have too many dot balls in their innings. “Having a set batter at one end is very beneficial. The other batter can look to knock singles and give more strike to the set batter. That way, there are not too many dot balls. In T20 cricket, the idea is to have as few dot balls as possible. I think the Indian team has realised that. If you look at the teams with the lowest percentage of dot balls, India are pretty high up there. I am not saying they are the best, but they are up there. That is where half the battle is won. Out of 120 deliveries, if you score runs off 80 to 85 balls, you give yourself a real chance to chase scores like 190 to 200, and India did exactly that against the West Indies,” added Gavaskar.
After his knock, Samson shared how he learned from the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma while watching from the dugout. “I have been playing this format for a very long time. I think playing IPL for around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country for the last 10 years – I have not been playing but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats. I think it’s very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me too. With my experience, I have only played maybe 50-60 games, but I have seen around 100 games,” Samson said after the win.
