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Sanju Samson – A Potential Superstar
Sanju Samson has scored as many Indian T20 League centuries as AB de Villiers (3). Those ahead of him on the list are legends of the game. Yet after nearly 9 seasons in the league, including 7 with the Rajasthan team, Samson averages less than 30. Those two figures sum up Samson the enigma perfectly – a sublime talent who simply hasn’t managed to be consistent enough.
In his 13 T20I appearances for India, he hasn’t crossed the 50-run mark, and his only ODI cap came when the main stars were in England playing a Test series. But with the Dhoni era over in international cricket, Samson is one among the clutch of young players eyeing the wicketkeeper-batter position, though he faces stiff competition from Rishabh Pant, who has been in blistering form of late.
Samson’s figures in domestic cricket are pretty ordinary, and it’s beyond dispute that it’s his displays in the Indian T20 League that have kept him in the limelight. After making an immediate impression in 2013, Rajasthan team made him the youngest player to be purchased for an 8-digit amount in the auction when they paid ₹4 crores to retain him before the 2014 season. He enjoyed one good season in Delhi when Rajasthan were banned, but it’s the return to the royal blue colours that has seen him revive his India hopes.
Having enjoyed his best season in 2018, Samson was one of those fighting for the Orange Cap at one stage in the 2021 season of the league though he failed to help his side reach the play-offs. The responsibility of being Rajasthan’s captain strengthened his focus last year and he will hope to follow that up again this year after being retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction.
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Sanju Samson’s Personal Details
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- Name
- :
- Sanju Viswanath Samson
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- Date of Birth
- :
- 11th November 1994
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- Birthplace
- :
- Thiruvananthapuram
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- Height
- :
- 5′7″
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- Batting Style
- :
- Right-handed batter
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- Playing Role
- :
- Wicketkeeper-batter
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- Current Team
- :
- Team India, Rajasthan team
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- Jersey Number
- :
- 14
Sanju Samson's Current Rankings
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T20 178 -
ODI 110 -
Test --
Sanju Samson Career Summary
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- Format
- M
- Inn
- Runs
- HS
- Avg
- SR
- 100
- 200
- 50
-
- ODI
- 11
- 10
- 330
- 86 vs SL
- 66.00
- 104.76
- 0
- 0
- 2
-
- T20I
- 17
- 16
- 301
- 77 vs IRE
- 20.07
- 133.78
- 0
- 0
- 1
Sanju Samson - Key Skills and Strengths
It isn’t just Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen who are huge admirers of Samson’s talent. On his day, he can destroy any attack. He’s capable of launching the ball into the stands – his 10 sixes against Bangalore in 2018 is the second-most by an Indian batter in an Indian T20 League innings – and finding the gaps in the field with ease. Capable of fielding anywhere in the inner cordon, he’s a tidy wicketkeeper as well.
Sanju Samson’s Captaincy Record
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- Format
- Matches
- Won
- Lost
- Tie
- NR
-
- Indian T20 League
- 19
- 9
- 10
- 0
- 0
Sanju Samson Awards and Achievements
Samson has struggled to find his feet with the Indian cricket team. His 11 appearances across the two limited-over formats have spanned a 6-year period.
Here are some of Samson’s achievements in international cricket:
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Samson scored an 87-ball century against Pakistan in the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup in 2013. India won the tournament.
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With 267 runs, Samson was India’s highest scorer at the Under-19 World Cup in 2014. Of those with more than 250 runs, only Nicholas Pooran had a better strike rate than Samson’s 96.73.
Sanju Samson’s Indian T20 League Journey
After Rajasthan took him from the Kolkata team that never played him, Samson quickly set about establishing himself as one of the most promising young batters in the Indian T20 League. Such was his initial promise that Rajasthan shelled out ₹4 crore to retain him in the 2014 auction. When Rajasthan were banned from the league in 2016 and 2017, Samson went to Delhi. But after two modest seasons there, he was back in the Rajasthan jersey. He has been far more consistent since and has learned to take that additional responsibility as the leader of the side.
Here are some of Samson’s biggest achievements in the Indian T20 League:
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Until Rishabh Pant beat his record in 2018, Samson was the youngest player to score 1000 runs in the Indian T20 League.
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Samson was named the league’s Emerging Player of the Year in 2013, the year he broke through with Rajasthan.
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Only Riyan Parag, his Rajasthan teammate, was younger than Samson when he made his first fifty in the league.
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He remains one of only 4 players to score a century in the Indian T20 League before their 23rd birthday.
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Only 4 players – Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, David Warner and Shane Watson – have made more hundreds in the league than Samson (3).
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- Format
- M
- Runs
- HS
- Avg
- SR
- 100
- 50
-
- Indian T20 League
- 143
- 3683
- 119 vs Punjab
- 29.23
- 136.76
- 3
- 19
Sanju Samson: FAQs
Though his roots are in Kerala, Samson grew up in Delhi, where his father, Samson Viswanath, was a police constable. They left Delhi only after Samson wasn’t selected for the Under-13 side.
Rahul Dravid, who coached him at Rajasthan, graced the occasion in December 2018.
Kevin Pietersen, who inspired England’s World T20 victory in 2010. “I absolutely love him as a batter,” said Pietersen during a match commentary. “I think he is absolutely incredible. The way that he plays the pull shot, the way he can hit sixes, the way he manipulates the spinners around the ground and picks the gaps.”
MS Dhoni, India’s legendary wicketkeeper-batter for well over a decade, is the cricketer Samson would most like to emulate. He was 12 when Dhoni led India to World T20 glory in 2007.
Mohanlal, a legendary actor who has been a part of the Malayalam film industry for over 30 years, thanked Samson for the gift on his Twitter.
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