Imagine you have an insane amount of talent but nothing major to show that off. Sanju Samson, who enjoys a massive (quite literally) fandom, has often received sympathy for not getting enough chances in the Indian team. Whenever he is left out of any squad, fans have bashed BCCI for his non-inclusion. However, he is not doing anything great for himself by not making most of the opportunities. Case in point, the ongoing T20I series against Bangladesh.
Sanju Samson: Squandering chances
Post Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement, Sanju Samson would’ve hoped for more chances in the shortest format. With the clash that Samson oozes, it is necessary to include him as well, given the Kerala-born can change the course of a match anytime. However, the 29-year-old has done himself a favour. The T20I series against Bangladesh even saw BCCI give rest to Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal – the other first-choice openers. India already have a jam-packed middle-order and hence Samson was given the chance to open the batting.
While he started the series with a decent-looking cameo of 29 in Gwalior, all eyes were once again on him. Unfortunately, Samson failed to impress in the capital city, New Delhi, getting dismissed for just 10 runs. Despite looking elegant in the 2 boundaries he hit, Samson squandered and handed a simple catch to Najmul Shanto at mid-off.
Sanju Samson T20I stats in 2024
| Stats | |
|---|---|
| Matches | 8 |
| Runs | 109 |
| Average | 18.16 |
| Strike Rate | 129.76 |
| 50/100 | 1/0 |
Samson is enduring a tough phase. Albeit his exceptional talent, Samson has made just 109 runs, that too, at a strike rate of under 130 in the 7 T20I innings so far. Not to mention, Samson has the worst T20I average for India, among batters who have played 25 matches or more. Samson’s current average is 19.32, which is even lower than the likes of Axar Patel (20.13), and Ravindra Jadeja (20.13).
