The Indian cricket team’s T20 World Cup campaign will start in just 12 days. But, with the IPL 2024 season going on, many have forgotten that bigger things stand on the line than your favorite team winning. A lot of hope is pinned on the mega-event as Team India’s dry run at ICC events continues.
These expectations only go up when we think about how last year’s ODI World Cup loss left many shattered. To redeem themselves, the Men in Blue need to perform out of their skins and bring the trophy home. But a major roadblock stands in the way of India’s T20 World Cup success, in the form of India’s top wicketkeeper batter, Sanju Samson.
T20 World Cup: Samson headache for Rohit Sharma
Leading the Rajasthan Royals, Samson suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2nd Qualifier. But that loss isn’t what one should be worried about, but rather his form. Having been among the best batters in the league stage, the batter’s run tally dried up as he reached the business end of the tournament.
That not only raises questions over his place but the India cricket team’s fortune at the T20 World Cup as well. Samson provides great flexibility in the batting order, possessing the ability to bat from 1 to 7. With Rishabh Pant coming back from injury and his superior form, he could have gotten a nod as India’s wicketkeeper batter.
Sanju Samson’s IPL 2024 form
| IPL matches | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 11 | 471 | 67.28 | 163.54 | 5 |
| Last 5 | 60 | 15 | 103.44 | 0 |
Indian Cricket
Samson can’t handle pressure?
He was fine when the pressure wasn’t on, but at the business end of the tournament, the keeper went out of touch. In the Eliminator encounter against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he scored 17(13). As his team’s leader and best batter, many had high hopes, but he couldn’t live up to them. One could call it an outlier and move past it. But then, in Qualifier 2 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he scored just 10(11) leaving his team in a bigger hole than before.
So, what to make of it? Is Sanju Samson just out of form, or does he have a major problem with performing in pressure matches? The record suggests that he’s a massive underperformer in IPL Playoffs. Can he turn it around in the T20 World Cup 2024? Only time will tell.
Sanju Samson’s IPL Playoffs record
| Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 176 | 19.55 | 116.55 | 1 |
