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Sanju Samson has been in and out of the Indian team over the last decade. Having made his T20I debut back in 2015, the Kerala stumper has only featured in 28 matches in the format, scoring 444 runs at an average of 21.14 and a strike rate of 133.33, with two half-centuries.
The 29-year-old made his debut at a time when MS Dhoni was still the first-choice keeper-batter in the Indian team. Subsequently, Rishabh Pant jumped the queue and grabbed the position based on some incredible batting performances, especially in red-ball cricket. His keeping was questioned at the start, but to his credit, Pant worked on it and made a big impact behind the stumps as well.
With Pant being rested for the tour of Zimbabwe recently, Samson got another chance to prove his worth in the five-match T20I series. The right-handed batter top-scored with 58 off 45 in the fifth and final T20I in Harare, lifting the Men in Blue after they had lost three wickets for 40 runs inside the powerplay.
In the wake of his impressive batting effort in the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe, we analyze three reasons why Samson should be a permanent feature in India's T20I playing 11 in the post-Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma era.
#1 India need Samson's experience in the absence of Rohit, Kohli
Team India's batting in T20Is will be significantly weakened with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from the format. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Riyan Parag are all hugely talented cricketers. But Jaiswal and Gill are still learning the tricks of the trade in international cricket. Abhishek scored a hundred, but he and Riyan still have a long way to go.
Samson may have not played 28 T20Is, but he has been around the international scene for nearly a decade now. The talented keeper-batter also has the experience of 16 ODIs, in which he has scored 510 runs at an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60, with one hundred and three fifties.
Further, Samson also has a wealth of experience in the T20 format. He has featured in 276 matches in the format and has an impressive record, scoring 6791 runs at a strike rate of 134.68, which includes three tons and 46 half-centuries. Of his T20 games, 167 have been played in a high-pressure tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL). He deserves more chances now in T20Is as well.
#2 Rishabh Pant has had enough chances to prove his worth in T20Is
On the back of his IPL 2024 exploits for Delhi Capitals (DC), Pant was deservedly picked as the first-choice keeper in the Indian team for the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States. The left-handed batter began impressively, hammering 36* against Ireland and 42 versus Pakistan.
The southpaw, however, lost his way after that and was dismissed in rather soft modes, although he did get starts in a couple of matches. Pant ended the World Cup on a hugely disappointing note. He was dismissed for 15 in India's last Super 8 match against Australia, made only four in the semifinal against England, and perished without scoring in the final against South Africa, playing a poor stroke.
Pant's performance in the ICC event summed up his T20I career. Plenty of promise, but not much in terms of performance. The left-hander has 1158 runs to his name in 74 T20Is at an average of 22.70 and an underwhelming strike rate of 126.55, with only three half-centuries. Pant should be India's first-choice keeper in Tests and ODIs, but Samson must get a long run as a keeper-batter in T20Is now.
#3 Samson could be a potential captaincy candidate
Apart from his batting, Samson has also impressed with his captaincy skills in the IPL. He has led Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 61 matches, out of which the franchise has won 31 games and has lost 29. One match did not produce a result. The stumper has an impressive win percentage of 50.81.
Under Samson, Rajasthan Royals finished runners-up in 2022 and made the playoffs in 2024. RR made a sensational start to the season, winning eight of their first nine matches before slipping, losing four matches in a row. At one point, they were favorites to top the points table.
Going beyond stats, the RR skipper has won a lot of praise for his calm and composed style of captaincy, which has often reminded fans and experts of Rohit's leadership qualities. Given his skills and experience, he can be considered as a captaincy option for Team India in T20Is.
