Sanju Samson impressed on his comeback in the final T20I against SA, smashing 37 off 22 balls as an opener after replacing injured Shubman Gill. He crossed 1000 T20I runs, delighting fans and sparking calls for him to be India’s permanent opener.
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson made a comeback with his quickfire innings in the fifth and final T20I series against South Africa at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19. Samson returned to playing XI after vice–captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the T20I series decider due to niggle.
Sanju Samson did not feature in the first three matches of the T20I series against the Proteas as the team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, preferred Jitesh Sharma over the Kerala cricketer, sparking debate among fans and cricket pundits. The wicketkeeper-batter was demoted from opener to the middle order since Shubman Gill’s return to the T20I setup during the Asia Cup 2025. Despite having scored three T20I centuries as a top-order batter, Samson was pushed down the order to accommodate Gill as an opener.
Sanju Samson’s struggle with his consistency and rhythm in the middle order resulted in him being dropped from the playing XI, and Jitesh Sharma was preferred as wicketkeeper until Samson found his way to the playing XI after Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series decider.
Samson’s Instant Impact on Comeback
After being drafted back into the playing XI after he was snubbed in the first three matches of the T20I series, Sanju Samson seized the opportunity with both hands as if he had never been out of the team. Samson, alongside his opening partner Abhishek Sharma, took South Africa bowlers to the cleaners, putting them under pressure.
Samson was aggressive in his approach and took calculated risks while building a 63-run stand for the opening wicket with Abhishek before the latter’s dismissal. Samson and Abhishek smashed 19 runs off South African pacer Marco Jansen’s over, racing the hosts to 63 inside power play, with Samson launching a six and finding boundaries to put early pressure on the Proteas bowling attack.
After Abhishek’s dismissal, Samson was joined by Tilak Varma at the crease to carry on India’s innings. The wicketkeeper-batter continued with his innings and was in good touch to complete his fifty before he was bowled out by George Linde. Sanju Samson played a crucial innings of 37 off 22 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, at a strike rate of 168.18 before he was dismissed at 97/2.
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Alongside his comeback knock, Sanju Samson joined the elite Indian batters to have scored 1000 or runs in the history of T20I cricket. Samson completed 1000-run T20I a decade after his debut in the format against Zimbabwe in 2015 at Harare. In his T20I career, the 31-year-old has amassed 1032 runs, including 3 centuries and 2 fifties, at an average of in 25.8 in 52 matches.
Samson’s Comeback Knock Delights Fans
Sanju Samson’s return to the playing XI and making an immediate impact with his crucial knock at the top order has nothing but delighted the fans, who wanted Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to play as an opener after he was pushed down the order to accommodate Shubman Gill as an opener before eventually getting dropped from the team.
Taking to their X handle (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts lauded Samson for making an impact in his comeback while demanding his reinstatement as an opener in the upcoming T20 World Cup. While others noted that Sanju Samson has scored more runs in a single match than Shubman Gill in the entire series.
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Meanwhile, Team India posted a solid total of 231/5 in 20 overs. Tilak Varma played a brilliant knock of 73 off 42 balls and formed a vital 105-run stand for the fourth wicket with Hardik Pandya, who unleashed his firepower with his blistering knock of 63 off 25 balls, including 5 fours and as many sixes, at an astonishing strike rate of 252.
South Africa bowlers were completely dominated by Indian batters in a crucial match as Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Ottneil Baartman, Marco Jansen, and Donovan Ferriera registered an economy rate of 10 and above, as India’s batting firepower overwhelmed the Proteas in the series decider.