Finally, the Gods have smiled on Sanju Samson. So much has been written about his non-inclusion in white-ball cricket, and his wasted opportunities fatigue was setting in. Just then, Sanju Samson rises to the occasion and guides India to an ODI series victory in South Africa.
The 3rd ODI in the series between India and South Africa was his last opportunity to impress the selectors. His poor dismissal in the 2nd ODI had the naysayers cribbing about how Sanju Samson never comes good when it matters.
He was impressive in his maiden ton. Surely, there was a nag at the back of his mind about his dismissal in the previous match. It was time for redemption. One could see caution and calmness in his knock. There was a phase in his innings where the boundaries had dried up, and it looked like a Test match.
Sanju Samson changed his game approach in the 3rd ODI
He realized early that the pitch suited spinners. Curbing his instincts, he did not go after the off-spin of Aiden Markram and looked for singles, doing the same against Keshav Maharaj, a quality bowler who put the brakes on the score with an immaculate line and length.
He scored most of his runs running between wickets, which is unusual in his career. Usually, you see him score maximum runs from boundaries or sixes. In this knock, Sanju Samson only 40% of his runs in boundary hits or ever it.
His willingness to change his batting style per the situation is a welcome feature of his approach to a game. Sanju Samson and Tilak Verma held the Indian innings with a match-winning partnership.
India will next play a T20 series against Afghanistan at home in January 2024. One hopes that Sanju Samson has found favor with the selectors with his century and gets an opportunity to make an impression ahead of the T20 World Cup this year.
Fingers crossed, we hope to see him in Blue in all white-ball formats.
“He has kickstarted his international career with this knock” – Gautam Gambhir lauds Sanju Samson’s century in 3rd IND vs SA ODI on Star Sports.