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Sanju Samson came into bat as India was reeling with four wickets down. The promising batter made most of the scenario. It was a situation that demanded a lot from the Kerala cricketer. However, Sanju looked calm and determined.
Came in at 51/4. Finished with 86* off 63. Gave the nation hope.
Proud of you, Sanju Samson. 💗🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Pp0kix7PoR
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 6, 2022
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He started steadily. The wicket-keeper batter maintained momentum in the middle of the innings. Sanju stitched a fighting stand of 93 runs for the sixth wicket with Shardul Thakur. That knock helped the team to stage a recovery. From a winless position, India raced toward the daunting target. In the end, they fell short by nine runs.
Sanju Samson as our finisher in 2023 WC is what we want ! Like & Retweet if you agree 🔁 #SanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/6gXCTUrfqz
— Robi Jodeja (@robi_jodeja) October 6, 2022
India would not have given a close fight without Sanju’s crucial knock. The aggressive batter scored 86 not out of 63 balls. Sanju Samson hit nine fours and smashed three over the fence. It was solid innings and his best score in the ODIs so far. India lost the game but can heave a sigh of relief that they found a potential finisher on the team.
Sanju Samson can learn from Dhoni?
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MS Dhoni was a master at finishing the games in ODIs. The former Indian captain displayed a calculative approach to his batting. He stands patient till the crucial parts of a game and takes it deep, to stand till the end. As the end part approaches, he unleashes his beast mode. Many times, India won their games as MSD kept his cool and stood undefeated at one end.
#SanjuSamson played an incredible innings yesterday.
He came on to bat when India was 51/4, the asking rate was around 9, the ball was turning.
He almost took India over the line !!
Well fought champ!Sanju Samson, take a bow! 🫶
#INDvsSA1stODI pic.twitter.com/HVWmOiTPeh— Dhriti banerjee (@dhriti908) October 7, 2022
In his rewarding innings, Sanju showed some qualities of Dhoni-like innings. He tried to take the game deep by staging India’s recovery. The Rajasthan Royals skipper staged two important partnerships with Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur. This took India to a safer position from where they can fancy their chances of a win. Sanju unleashed his all-out attack in the last over where he smashed South African spinner Shamsi.
Sanju Samson has a long way to go
Sanju has only played 8 ODIs, and it is very early to compare him to a legend like Dhoni. However, the Kerala cricketer can take pride in that he’s made his mark and has set high standards. Talent was never a question with Sanju, but it was more about consistency.
Under pressure knocks by Sanju Samson in India colours(2022)
*Ind vs SA
86(63)*, Ind was 51/4*Ind vs WI
54(51) Ind was 79/3*Ind v Zim
43*(39) Ind was 97/4*Ind A vs NZ A
29*(32), Ind A was 101/3*Ind A vs NZ A
37(35), Ind A was 134/4#INDvsSA #SanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/k1lcgqnbLz— Anurag ™ (@RightGaps) October 6, 2022
Sanju will hope he’ll keep his consistency growing and become a regular member of the ODI team. Indian fans would hope he finishes more games and takes the team forward.
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