Sanju Samson’s career is beginning to mirror the early days of Rohit Sharma’s in many ways. Like Rohit, Samson was hailed as a generational talent, but inconsistency and a lack of clarity over his role in the team have long hindered his international journey. However, just as MS Dhoni’s intervention in 2013 transformed Rohit’s career, there are signs that a similar shift may be occurring for Samson in 2024.
However, just 27 days later, he struck another, leading India to a dominant 61-run win over South Africa in the first T20I of their series at Kingsmead, Durban on Friday.
This back-to-back show of fireworks made Samson the first Indian batter to score consecutive T20I centuries. It was a knock that would have thrilled the many who have backed the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter since his debut in 2015, despite his often frustrating inconsistency.
It was an innings of absolute authority. Samson never doubted himself — in the third over of the contest, Samson walked down the pitch and tried to hit Keshav Maharaj into the stands. Seeing Samson’s trigger movement, the wily left-arm spinner dropped it short and tried to take the ball away from the hitting arc. As the ball looped in the air, it looked like Samson would get beaten and pay the price for a bit too much premeditation.
