Sanju Samson gave himself a much-needed boost with a stunning half-century against Afghanistan in the second T20I, putting his place in India’s playing XI back in the spotlight.
The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 57 runs from just 22 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes. His explosive innings came at an important time, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting for his opportunity.
Sanju Samson has been in and out of India’s T20I team in recent times, despite playing an important role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph. He was also not selected for the T20I series against Zimbabwe, where Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named the Player of the Series. That made Sanju Samson’s latest performance even more important as he looks to remain in India’s plans.
Former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar praised Sanju Samson’s approach during his innings. Gavaskar felt Samson did well by not trying to attack every ball from the beginning. Instead, he spent some time at the crease before launching his attack against the Afghanistan bowlers.
According to Sunil Gavaskar, Sanju Samson can become more consistent if he continues with this approach. He also highlighted that T20I openers get plenty of opportunities because they face a large share of the deliveries during a 20-over innings. Gavaskar’s view was that if Sanju Samson gives himself some time before attacking, he has the ability to regularly produce scores of 50 or 60-plus.
Before Tuesday’s match against Afghanistan, Sanju Samson had scored only 100 runs in six matches since the 2026 T20 World Cup final, averaging just 16.66. His 57 off 22 balls in the second T20I alone accounted for more than half of those 100 runs, giving him a major confidence boost after a difficult run.
Sunil Gavaskar also highlighted one area Sanju Samson needs to manage better. The former India captain believes Samson can sometimes try to attack from the very first ball, even when the situation does not demand it.
When a team is chasing a huge target of 190 or 200, attacking from the start may be necessary. But in other situations, Gavaskar believes Sanju Samson can benefit from spending some time at the crease before taking on the bowlers. Despite that, Gavaskar made it clear that Samson is a highly talented batter and has the ability to score big runs if he gives himself enough time to settle in.
Sanju Samson’s explosive knock against Afghanistan has therefore come at a crucial moment, especially with competition for places in India’s T20I batting line-up continuing to grow.
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