Sanju Samson: Right choice to step in for Rohit Sharma as T20I opener?

Come November, Sanju Samson will be turning 30 and is certainly at a point in his career where one feels it’s now or never. It’s in this context that the enigmatic batter’s fluid century off 40 balls against a hapless Bangladesh attack in the third and final T20I on Saturday assumes special significance.

A 3-0 sweep against Nazimul Hussain Santo’s men was not really surprising, though one expected a little more fight from our neighbours, given the format. It’s up to Gautam Gambhir and his support staff to count the takeaways from the series win — with the next T20 World Cup scheduled in India in 2026 — but Samson’s innings should give the new head coach some welcome clues in his search for a replacement for Rohit Sharma at the top of the order.       

The void left by both Rohit and Virat Kohli’s retirement from the T20 format is certainly not easy to fill, more so with the ‘Hitman’, as he was capable of giving his team the head starts so badly needed during the powerplay. It’s a pair of shoes which needs a batter blessed with the rare gift of timing and a selfless approach to step in, and Samson could be the answer.

Chequered career

It has been a chequered international career for the uber talented Malayali keeper-batter, whose record in 16 ODIs and 33 T20Is so far since his 2015 debut has been modest by any stretch of the imagination. Time and again, a berth in the national squad has eluded him owing to lack of a suitable role or often selectoral ignorance but then, Samson did not help his cause with his impetuous shot selections in several critical stages. 

The doors finally started opening up for him in India’s white ball set-up over the past year as Ishan Kishan — who made a dent even in Tests during Rishabh Pant’s absence — was relegated to the sidelines for disciplinary reasons. Lady luck finally smiled on him as Samson was a part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad but then, there was no vacant spot for him in the playing XI with Pant back behind the stumps.

Gambhir’s clarity of thought worked in the recent series as he invested in Samson and young southpaw Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair against Bangladesh — brushing aside suggestions that Rinku Singh could be tried out instead. After two modest outings, Samson came into his own on the flat track at Hyderabad to toy with the rival bowlers and score the second fastest century in T20Is among Indians, with Rohit being at the top of the list (35 balls).

Like Rohit, Samson may not play the hook or pull as effortlessly, but makes up for it with some breathtaking shots down the ground, and showed he has a good all-round hitting arc to hurt bowlers. It’s a match which leg spinner Rishad Hussain would like to forget in a hurry as he was clobbered by Samson for five sixes in an over, though Samson’s class came to the fore when he hit a six off the backfoot off seamer Mustafizur Rahman.

Waiting deep inside the crease, the Rajasthan Royals captain judged the wily customer’s slower ball to perfection and whacked it over extra cover for a maximum, prompting a quick shake of the head from the bowler.

Well, it’s not every day that Samson will get a chance to bat at a strike rate of 236.17, with 92 of his 111 runs coming off boundaries and sixes. However, if he can leverage more than a decade’s experience as a top performer in the IPL and learn to bide for his time when needed, he looks the best bet to step into Rohit’s shoes.

The choice, of course, rests with him…