India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I: Sanju Samson joins Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul in India’s elite club

ByTech Word News

Sanju Samson (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson was at his majestic ease in the second T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.Samson scored just 10 runs in the opening T20I and was under pressure to perform. He responded in style, smashing a 22-ball 57 to get India off to a flying start.Samson continued to take risks and looked determined to make amends for his early elimination in the first game.

Samson’s form in the spotlight

The Kerala batsman was a key player in India’s T20 World Cup triumph, but his form has been inconsistent since then.Before the Afghanistan series, he scored only 33 runs in four innings.With youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also pushing for the spot, Samson needed a strong performance. The upcoming Asian Games added to the importance of his form.

Samson hits 57 off 22 balls

After India restricted Afghanistan to 159/8 in 20 overs, Samson attacked from the start.He smashed 57 off just 22 balls, with seven fours and four sixes. His quick-fire knock helped India get off to a flying start in the chase.

Samson reaches 1000 T20I runs as an opener

Samson also completed 1000 runs as an opener in T20Is during his innings. He became only the fifth Indian opener to cross the 1000-run mark in the format.Rohit Sharma leads the list with 3,750 runs, followed by KL Rahul (1,826), Shikhar Dhawan (1,759) and Abhishek Sharma (1,726). Samson now has 1,026 runs as an opener.Samson also scored those runs at a strike rate of 181.59, the highest among the five Indian openers on the list.

1000+ runs as an opener for India in T20Is:

  • Rohit Sharma – 3,750 (SR: 143.02, Bnd%: 20.33)
  • KL Rahul – 1,826 (SR: 136.98, Bnd%: 17.34)
  • Shikhar Dhawan – 1,759 (SR: 126.36, Bnd%: 17.31)
  • Abhishek Sharma – 1,726 (SR: 191.56, Bnd%: 31.63)
  • Sanju Samson – 1,026 (SR: 181.59, Bnd%: 29.73)

Samson’s trend 50 and over

This was Samson’s 16th innings in T20Is this year. Interestingly, the four times he faced more than 15 balls, he scored more than 50.His previous three such scores came in must-win matches at the T20 World Cup: 97* off 50 balls against the West Indies, 89* off 42 against England in the semi-final and 89* off 46 against New Zealand in the final.