Sanju Samson slams second-fastest T20I hundred by an Indian: Stats
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson stole the show with a breathtaking hundred in the third T20I against Bangladesh on Saturday, October 12. The match was played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Despite losing his opening partner Abhishek Sharma early, Samson batted aggressively and played arguably the best knock of his international career.
Sensational partnership with SKY
Samson joined Suryakumar Yadav (75) in the middle with the scorecard reading 23/1. It was one-way traffic thereafter as the duo found boundaries for fun. Though Samson's 111 overshadowed SKY's brilliance, the latter also played some outrageous shots. They added 173 runs as a pair before Samson departed. Young pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib was the one to trap him.
Samson's performance silences critics after initial series struggle
Samson's stellar performance comes after a tough start to the series, where he scored 29 (19) and 10 (7) in the first two matches. Nevertheless, assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate had expressed confidence in him ahead of the final game. Samson started his innings cautiously with just three runs off the first five balls but soon found his rhythm against Taskin Ahmed in the second over.
Samson's aggressive batting sets new records
Samson's aggressive batting continued as he hit Mustafizur Rahman for a boundary and a six in the fourth over, moving into the 30s. He then scored 4,4,6 against Rishad Hossain in the seventh over to bring up his half-century off just 22 balls. This feat marked the fastest half-century by an Indian against Bangladesh. Supported by captain Suryakumar Yadav at the other end, Samson helped India reach their joint-highest powerplay score of 82/1.
Samson only behind Rohit
Samson brought up his hundred off just 40 balls. Only Rohit Sharma (35 balls) has slammed a faster T20I hundred for India. Meanwhile, South Africa's David Miller (35 balls) and WI's Johnson Charles (39 balls) are the only other full-member team batters with faster T20I tons than Samson.
Maiden T20I hundred for Samson
Samson departed for 111 off 47 balls as he smoked 11 fours and eight sixes. With this knock, Samson has raced to 594 runs across 33 T20Is at an average of 22.84. He has a healthy strike-rate of 144.52 as this was his third 50-plus score. Overall, this was the fourth hundred of his T20 career. He now has 150 runs against Bangladesh at 50.
