Sanju Samson’s another masterclass piles pressure on Shubman Gill; adds to Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav’s headache

Sanju Samson has served another reminder to Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav with another fiery half-century in the Kerala Cricket League. The swashbuckling opener has been in sensational form in the domestic T20 league as he scored 83 runs off 41 balls against Alleppey Ripples on Sunday night. Samson stood tall for Kochi Blue Tigers in the tricky 177-run chase and helped his team register another win. Sanju Samson has registered four back-to-back 50-plus scores in KCL 2025.(X Image)

It was another display of brute power from Samson as he smashed 9 sixes to make life difficult for the opposition bowlers. He also hit two fours, which faded away in his highlights package filled with the sixes.

Samson notched up his fourth straight fifty-plus score in the tournament, following knocks of 121 off 51, 89 off 46, and 62 off 37. With 368 runs in five innings at a blistering strike rate of 186.80, he now sits second on the list of highest run-getters this season.

Samson’s fifty on Sunday once again highlighted his case to the Indian team management ahead of the Asia Cup, especially with stiff competition for the opening slot.

Gill and Abhishek vs Samson and Abhishek - Battle for opening pair

However, Shubman Gill is strongly tipped to partner at the top, having been named vice-captain for the tournament. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar also suggested as much, pointing out that Samson opened in recent T20Is only because Gill was unavailable due to his commitments in other formats.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma might also get a nod over Samson in the XI with his ability to roll the arm over as a part-time spinner. Last year, Samson smashed 436 runs in 12 innings at an average of 43.60, with a strike rate of 180.16, including three centuries and a fifty, but despite putting up such performances, he might lose his opening slot.

The wicketkeeper batter may need to slot into the middle order to secure a spot in the XI, though that could be challenging given his limited exposure in that role.

The Men in Blue will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against arch-rivals Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

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