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Samson hammered 107 runs from 50 balls in the first T20I against South Africa, which helped him become the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in the shortest format of the game.
Gautam Gambhir refuses to take credit for Sanju Samson’s red-hot form in T20Is. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Sanju Samson got a chance to play as an opener for India in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh last month, and in the final match of the series, which was played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, he scored 111 runs from 47 deliveries. After scoring his maiden T20I century, Samson credited India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for his success by saying that the duo gave him clarity about the batting position, which helped him prepare well for the matches.
Samson maintained his swashbuckling form in the T20I series against South Africa as well, and in the series opener played at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday (November 8), he scored 107 runs from 50 balls. His century in Durban helped him become the first Indian batter to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is.
While Samson has credited Gambhir for his brilliant performances, the Indian head coach refuses to take credit and said he has nothing to do with Samson’s brilliant batting performances in recent matches. According to Gambhir, Samson has the ability, and he just backed him and gave him the right number to bat.
“Not at all; I think it’s nothing to do with me. I think it’s his ability. It was all about giving him the right number and backing him. I think ultimately it’s his hard work. What he is doing for Indian cricket is just the start; it’s not the end. Hopefully he can continue taking this form forward,” Gambhir said about Samson during India’s pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Monday (November 11).
The former Indian opening batter is happy to see a lot of young cricketers coming up and doing well, which he thinks is healthy and good for Indian cricket.
“For me, I think the good sign is that some of the young players are really coming through, which is always healthy and good for Indian cricket.”
In the T20I series against Bangladesh, apart from Samson’s heroics with the bat, 21-year-old Nitish Reddy and 22-year-old Mayank Yadav made their international debuts and impressed everyone with their performances.
