Sanju Samson. (Source – BCCI)
India finished their five-game T20I series against Zimbabwe with a 4-1 win. After losing the first game of the series, the Men in Blue made a remarkable comeback in the series, not losing a single game after that point. The fifth T20I of the series saw India bat first and post a total of 167 runs on the board.
The visitors only managed to post such a total on the board due to the gritty knock of star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson. The 29-year-old scored 58 runs in 45 deliveries and helped his side eventually win the game as well.
Furthermore, Samson’s knock went on to impress former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund. The 34-year-old pointed out how Samson has not made the most of his talent in recent times, but leading Rajasthan Royals in the IPL has made him a more mature player.
“It’s a tough place to be Sanju Samson in Indian cricket because, with all that talent, sometimes he tends to frustrate you, he doesn’t show the maturity. I feel that’s where captaining in the IPL, like he told me earlier, has really helped him because he plays with superstars but he also deals with youngsters as well like Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Mukund told SonySports.
“That’s where you see his maturity as a batter come through. There is immense competition for a wicketkeeper slot in Indian cricket at the moment, and Sanju Samson has just put his hand up today and said ‘Listen, I am still here, so you better not count me out in any of these conversations’,” he added.
Also Read: ‘The emotions are still going through’ – Sanju Samson reflects on India’s T20 World Cup win
After posting a total of 167 runs in the first innings, the Indian team managed to follow it up with a brilliant showing with the ball as well. The hosts were bundled out for just 125 runs during the run chase, as Mukesh Kumar ended up being the highest wicket-taker of the game with four wickets to his name.
Shivam Dube took two wickets, with Tushar Deshpande, Washington Sundar, and Abhishek Sharma taking one each, as India won the fifth T20I by 42 runs.