Sanju Samson is inarguably one of the most talented players in the country and the Kerala-born has finally shown his true class. In the third T20I against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson delivered a scintillating display of batting, hitting his maiden T20I century in just 40 balls, which is the fastest after Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball ton vs Sri Lanka.
Sanju Samson, you beauty
After failures in Gwalior and New Delhi, the third T20I in Hyderabad was supposed to his litmus test. However, the opener staked his claim in such a style that it has left an indelible mark on everyone. He looked in ominous touch from the get-go, hammering four consecutive fours. Just after the powerplay, he hit one of the best sixes you’ll ever see when he pummelled Mustafizur Rehman over covers. Then came the Rishad Hossain over (10th) when Samson completely tore apart the leggie to smash him for as many as five successive sixes.
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Record-breaking century by Samson
Sanju Samson continued his love affair in Hyderabad as he now averages 66.33 and at a strike rate of 162.44. This was his second T20 century at the venue. His 40-ball ton, however, is the fourth-fastest among all full-member nations. Moreover, Sanju Samson combined with Suryakumar Yadav to attain India’s highest powerplay score in T20I history when the duo took the Men in Blue to 82/1. Samson was ultimately dismissed at 111 off 47 against Mustafizur’s slower one.
Samson was enduring a tough 2024 before this innings. He scored three ducks and scored just a single fifty (vs ZIM) in T20Is. Samson had 39 runs in total in the ongoing series but this century changes it for Samson. His average which was 18.16 in T20Is this year has shot to 31.42, while the strike rate has taken a huge jump as well (from 129.76 to 167.93). India had a fantastic start, hitting a total of 15 boundaries in the first six overs. This was the same number of boundaries they hit against New Zealand in 2021 and the fourth-most number of runs Bangladesh have conceded in a T20I powerplay. India’s aggressive batting helped them reach 100 runs in just 7.1 overs, the fastest they have reached triple figures in a T20I. Their previous fastest 100 was against the West Indies in 2019.
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