Sanju Samson has emerged as India's emerging star and a leading contender to be the sport's flag-bearer for his native state of Kerala. In the domestic circuits, the wicket-keeper-batsman has put in solid performances in both departments, but selectors haven't shown much faith in him in recent years. For India A, he made the most of his few opportunities, scoring a searing 91 off 48 balls against South Africa A.
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In the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2019, the right-handed hitter also hit the fastest List-A double century (212 not out) while playing for Kerala against Goa. Samson's form continued in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, however he was once again ignored by the selectors. In 2015, he made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, and earlier this year, he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka. Samson has only appeared in four T20Is for India in the last five years.
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The next stage was the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he did not play despite being a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders' player pool in 2012. He was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for the next IPL season (2013) and made his IPL debut on April 13, 2013. He previously spent two seasons with the Delhi Capitals (DC) before joining the Jaipur-based squad in 2018.
Samson has scored 3,068 runs in 121 matches for an average of 29.21 in his IPL career. Let's have a look at some of his best knocks from various IPL tournaments.
119 OFF 63 BALLS VS PBKS (2021)
In their first match against the Punjab Kings, Samson single-handedly reduced a huge 222 target to 13 off six. Samson hammered 119 off 63 balls in a captain's performance that included 12 fours and seven sixes, but he fell short on the last ball with his team needing five runs to win.
82 OFF 57 BALLS VS SRH (2021)
Samson led the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a 164/5 total after scoring 82 runs in only 57 deliveries against Kane Williamson's Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). It was his 15th fifty, and his second in a row, and he became the 19th batter in the IPL to surpass 3000 runs. As SRH pursued the competitive total with nine balls to spare, his bowlers disappointed him down.
85 OFF 42 BALLS VS PBKS (2020)
With three balls remaining, the right-handed batsman smashed 85 runs in 42 balls against KL Rahul's Punjab Kings, helping his team chase down a record-breaking 223-run total. In that match, Samson scored 50 off 27 balls for the joint-fastest IPL half-century by an Indian.
102 OFF 55 BALLS VS SRH (2019)
RR scored 198/2 thanks to Samson's 102-run knock off 55 deliveries, which featured 10 boundaries and four sixes. In addition, he and then-RR skipper Ajinkya Rahane had a 119-run partnership off 75 balls. SRH, on the other hand, bowled out the opposition in just 19 overs to win by five wickets.
92 OFF 45 BALLS VS RCB (2018)
This was Samson's greatest knock in the 2018 tournament, which served as a sort of homecoming. He hit 92 runs off 45 balls, including 10 sixes and two boundaries, to help RR to a mammoth 217-run total. RR went on to win the match by 19 runs, earning him Player of the Match honours.
Recently on the BCCI confirmed the team for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on November 17 at home. Rohit Sharma will captain the 16-man squad, with Virat Kohli standing down as captain of the shortest format after the T20 World Cup in 2021. The wicketkeepers for are Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan.
Sanju Samson's absence, on the other hand upset his admirers, who started the hashtag #JusticeForSanjuSamson on Twitter.
Samson himself sent a cryptic tweet demonstrating his fielding abilities, implying that he is more than simply a wicket-keeper. Samson's outstanding outfielding efforts are depicted in a collage of the three photos.
Sanju Samson made his international debut in 2015 , but still waiting for cementing his position in the Indian team.