Sanju Samson was promoted to fourth in the batting order against Zimbabwe in the fifth and final T20I in Harare on Sunday. He did not bat in the fourth T20I and was therefore promoted.
The wicketkeeper-batsman did not disappoint and smashed a T20I fifty. He batted with intensity and took on the bowlers, especially the spinners. He played some delightful strokes and hit sixes more than fours.
Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl in the fifth and final T20I in Harare. The bowlers responded well and took three wickets quickly. India were 40/3 in the powerplay. Captain Sikandar Raza dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for 12. He was also involved in the dismissal of Shubman Gill as he took his catch.
Then there was a 65-run stand between Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson. Both of them hit some important knocks in that partnership. The young Parag tried to hit one too many and perished in the process. On the other hand, Samson hit his second T20I fifty.
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In the 12th over of India’s innings, Samson connected with Zimbabwean leg-spinner Brandon Mafuta for a 110-metre six. The third ball of the over was well pitched and Samson hit the ball with a straight bat and pulled it out of the ground.
Watch: Sanju Samson performs six 110-meter races
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Samson’s shot came straight off the middle of the bat as he held the pose for a while. He then hit another six more pitches in the next one, which is his favorite style. He looked very elegant while executing the shot.
Samson, who had not taken any chances in T20I cricket with the bat, finally showed his potential and made the most of his opportunities. He was eventually dismissed in the 18th over of the Indian innings, scoring 48 off 44 balls. He was dismissed by Blessing Musarabani and caught at deep square leg area.
He mistimed the shot as the ball went into the key end of the bat and did not go the required distance. In the end, it was the long-legged player who caught the ball and sent it back to the pavilion. He came running, caught the ball without any problems and sent it back.
Sanju Samson smashes 300 sixes in T20
Most sixes in T20 (Indians)
525 – Rohit Sharma
416 – Virat Kohli
338 – MS-Dhoni
325 – Suresh Raina
322 – Suryakumar Yadav
311 – KL Rahul
301* – Sanju Samson
The 110-metre six was also the 300th of his T20 career. He has joined an elite list of Indian batsmen with more than 300 sixes in T20. He joined a list with names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Suryakumar Yadav. Rohit is the leading six-hitter in T20 in the world with 525 sixes to his name.
At the start of the match, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to field first. Bowler Brandon Mafuta came into the starting lineup for Tendai Chatara. For India, Mukesh Kumar and Riyan Parag came into the starting lineup.
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