He played the slice shot, back foot shots, elevated ground shots and some pulls in between.
Sanju Samson was seen practicing in the nets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the five-match T20I series against England. As seen in the video posted by a user on X (formerly Twitter), Samson was determined and took a series of shots in the network session.
He played the slice shot, back foot strikes, elevated ground strokes and some pulls in between. Samson looked fantastic and is preparing hard for the impending T20I series against a quality English team.
Samson has been one of the best players in the T20I arena of late as he has scored runs and centuries for fun in the shortest format. Since 2023, he has had 514 runs at an average of 34.26 and a strike rate of 169.63 in 18 outings, including one fifty and even three centuries.
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He will be the main wicket-keeper batsman in the T20I series against England, with Dhruv Jurel named as his deputy. Samson has earned this spot through consistent performances, but must continue to score runs due to intense competition among too many available batsmen in the field.
Will Sanju Samson be preferred over Rishabh Pant for the Champions Trophy?
While Sanju Samson’s dominance has come in the shortest format, it will not be surprising if the management prefers him over Rishabh Pant for the Champions Trophy next month. Samson has all the talent in the world and can be very effective in UAE decks that are a bit slower and shorter.
Samson’s experience in delivering off-pace deliveries and handling slow bowlers brilliantly makes him an ideal middle-order candidate. His range is wider than Pant’s against spinners, who will play a crucial role in the ICC event.
Samson’s ODI numbers are also encouraging and he has done well in limited opportunities. He has 510 runs at an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60 in 14 innings, including three fifties and a century.
While Pant has not done anything wrong to be dropped from the ODI format, the team management and selectors should take a ‘horses for racing’ approach and select Samson. His chances will increase further if he continues his excellent run in the T20I series against England.
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