Sanju Samson’s knock against West Indies in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match will be remembered for a long time. If India go on to defend the title, Samson’s 97* off 50 balls will have played a very important role.
In fact, 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth went on to compare the knock with Virat Kohli’s iconic 82* that he scored against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“Sanju – one of the greatest chases I’ve ever seen. I’m telling you. When Virat Kohli played that knock against Pakistan in Melbourne, I was there at the ground. This felt like that level. I kept saying, ‘God is designing everything for you.’ Look at the last two matches – 20 off 7 balls, big moments – everything felt like it was building up for him. It really felt like God was behind him,” said Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.
“Sanju had that extra second to play his shots. Not one careless shot. Not once did he look like getting out. Back-foot straight drives past the fast bowlers, tennis-style punches off the back foot – what shots! Different-level batting. A complete innings.”
Srikkanth did a deep analysis of Samson’s knock. “He had so much time to play his shots. That’s what stood out. Against fast bowlers, playing straight off the back foot. Front foot, back foot – it didn’t matter. Even in the previous match, he hit a six off the back foot. That shot is masterful. Brilliant,” he said.
“I don’t know how he plays those shots. What batting, Chetta! Outstanding batting. I have never seen batting like this. Incredible.”
Meanwhile, speaking on Star Sports, the former India assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar, spoke about how Samson finally got his moment after waiting for so long.
“It was an unbelievable innings by Sanju Samson. It has been a roller-coaster ride for him over the last couple of years. He got those centuries in South Africa after scoring so many runs there, then got demoted to number five. We watched him in Australia – he was out of sorts because that was not his natural position. From there, he fought his way back into the Indian side and found a place in the T20 World Cup squad. Then Ishan Kishan replaced him,” Nayar said.
“He was looking for a spot again. He got just one game in the group stage against Namibia, then finally got a go against Zimbabwe. He got some runs, and then he did this – a special innings of 97 runs. He played very differently from how he has played in the past. It was very measured, controlled, and aggressive.”