Sanju Samson is currently leading Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. He began his IPL career for the same franchise way back in 2014. A player with immense talent made his T20 debut for India in 2015 but had to wait for six long years to make his ODI debut in 2021. In this piece, we look at what is the reason behind him playing only 10 T20I for India and has the player finally found the consistency needed for the international level.
Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant: Initial Approach
Even in the T20 format as a top-order batsman, you get some deliveries to assess the conditions and set up your innings. If a player has the ability to score all over the ground it becomes easier for him to catch up even if he played 2-3 extra dot balls. Samson has all the shots in the book but his shot selection has been questionable in the past years.
Comparing his stats with Rishabh Pant, who is known to play aggressive shots and is also a wicket-keeper batsman we look at how they both approach the first 10 balls of their innings. Any batsman who has played more than 10 balls in a T20 match would have a good idea about the pitch and generally then start playing their aggressive game. If we just look at the number of times Samson has been dismissed inside 10 balls is more than Rishabh Pant. In 2020, Samson scored 375 runs but played 10 or fewer balls in every second inning. Pant had a similar record in 2016 but that was the second year in IPL, which is considered to be one of the most challenging for a player has the opposition have a good idea about the game. Pant then improved the following year and scored 684 runs and only two times in 14 innings he played less than 10 balls.
In 2016, Sanju Samson had a similar stat of playing less than 10 balls only twice in 14 innings but only scored 291 runs at a low strike rate of 112. Probably he was not playing his natural game which did affect his run-scoring.
2021 season: The best of Sanju Samson
Before the start of the season, the player was made the captain for the side, and probably it has had a positive impact on his batting mindset. Before 2021, his best aggregate total was 441 and currently, he has 483 runs at a very good average of nearly 44 and a decent strike rate of 138. The player has played only four innings which were less than 10 balls. Samson has taken the responsibility and is giving himself the time to settle down and start playing his game. The century in the first match of the season where he was there till the last ball and almost won the game against Punjab Kings was followed by two low scores and everyone thought it’s just the same story with the player over and over again. But he has been consistent since then and scoring in every match in any situation. Furthermore the absence of three England stars in Stokes, Buttler, and Archer, he has realized he is the backbone of the team.
Performance by batting position
Certain players feel comfortable at a particular batting position as it gives them the game scenario which suits their style of play. Samson’s stats at no.4 and opening position are not that bad but you will expect much more from a seasoned player and someone with so much talent. Majority of his career he has batted at the no.3 position and should continue to do so as he can take his time to assess the situation if a wicket falls early and can do the same if the openers give a good start.
Conclusion
We have seen the best of Sanju Samson in the current year and probably he should cross the 500 run mark in the last league match. Only crossing the 400 run mark two times in nine seasons has been one major reason for the lack of opportunities at the international stage. The rise of Rishabh Pant and lately Ishan Kishan has increased the competition for the RR batsman. He has a calm head and is good behind the stumps and just needs to keep performing and being consistent.