Sanju Samson has once again forced the selectors to sit up and take notice as he continued in his rich vein of form in the Kerala Cricket League.
The wicket-keeper batter unleashed yet another masterclass on Sunday night with a 41 ball-83, laced with nine towering sixes and two fours, as Kochi Blue Tigers chased down 177 against Alleppey Ripples. He was named player of the match for his incredible knock -- his 3rd PoM award in the ongoing KCL.
Samson has been on a hot streak in the tournament, with scores of 121 (51), 89 (46), and 62 (37) before Sunday’s fireworks. With 368 runs in five innings at a staggering strike-rate of 186.80, he has certainly got Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma on their toes.
While Samson thrives as an opener, chances of batting at the top look slim.
His impact dims in the middle-order and that is the very role that captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir might earmark for him.
Samson’s numbers speak volumes. In 42 T20Is, he has 861 runs at 25.38, but his recent transformation as an opener has been striking with three centuries in five innings across series against Bangladesh and South Africa last year. He also finished 2024 as India’s most prolific T20I batter, amassing 436 runs in 12 innings at an average of 43.60 and a blistering 180-plus strike rate.
Samson has done everything in his power to remind the team management of his worth. Whether Gambhir and Suryakumar reward that form at the Asia Cup is the looming question.
India will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10.
© 2025