Sanju Samson claimed a rare achievement through his unbeaten, match-winning 97-run knock against the West Indies, last night at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was the first instance in the batter's T20 International, and IPL career, when he remained not out till the end of the innings during a run chase.
The Kerala-born was not in his best ahead Team India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Ahead of the series, when the Men in Blue brigade was facing New Zealand for a white-ball series, Samson was the first choice opener along with Abhishek. Later, because of a bad form, the team management dropped the batter from the playing combination.
The winner of the 2024 T20 World Cup formed a new opening pair with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, dropping Samson from the first eleven. Mostly because of the constant low-scoring knocks of Abhishek, the newly formed pair did not work according to the plans. Meanwhile, Sharma registered three ducks in three back-to-back matches he played in the group stage of the tournament.
After being defeated by South Africa, the team management started to find the best possible combination, keeping the off-forms and inconsistency in mind. Sanju Samson nipped back into the playing combination again. This time, he lived up to the mark. It was the experienced opener who earned the much-needed win for the team.
A rare achievement for Sanju Samson
According to Cricbuzz, "Sanju Samson has opened the batting 29 times in run chase in T20Is and IPL - this is the first instance of him remaining unbeaten till the end of the innings."
The undisputed 97-run knock came while chasing a target of 196. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, both departed cheaply, each scoring 10 runs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav notched up 18 off 16 and Hardik Pandya scored 17 off 14. In the run chase,
Tilak Varma supported the unbeaten opener arguably in the most significant way, scoring 27 runs in 15 balls. Samson remained tall on the crease, he waited for his particular moment for nights. To decorate the landmark knock, the opener collected twelve 4s and four 6s.
Samson paid tributes to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
While all the spotlights were on him, Sanju Samson remained humble and paid gratitude to some of the legends of the game like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After the match, the opener clarified that he learned about the art of run chase from some of these icons.
"There is always a question - what if not? So definitely that keeps on playing in your mind. But when that thought kept on coming, I just brought myself into the present moment, looked at the ball, and trusted myself to react according to its merit. I think that worked out pretty well today", Samson mentioned in the match after the presentation ceremony.
"I have been playing this format for a very long time. Playing IPL for around 10 to 12 years and being with the country for the last 10 years... I have not always been playing, but I have been looking from the dugout, learning from greats like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma - all the greats", he added.
Read More: Sanju Samson's blazing knock draws Rohit Sharma comparison from ex-Pakistan Skipper
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