Kevin Pietersen backs Sanju Samson's technique amidst struggles versus England
What's the story
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has shown faith in Sanju Samson's batting technique.
Notably, this comes after Samson was dismissed early on by Jofra Archer in India's third T20I against England on January 28.
Despite scoring only three off six balls, Pietersen praised Samson's mental toughness and predicted a stronger performance later in the series.
Here's what the former English cricket had to say about Samson.
Role query
Pietersen surprised by Samson's inconsistent role
Pietersen was surprised by Samson's inconsistent role over the years.
"I think mentally he's sound. I really like Sanju Samson as a batter," he said to the broadcasters after the match's conclusion.
"I was pretty surprised that he hasn't had more of a consistent role over the last few years," he added.
Meanwhile, this shows Pietersen believes in Samson's potential as a top-order batsman despite his current struggles.
Technique defense
Pietersen defends Samson's short ball technique
Defending Samson's technique against short balls, Pietersen said he would only question it if the player continues to struggle in the coming weeks or months.
"I think that he's a fabulous player. I think he plays the short ball extremely well, and I just think he's a rock solid player," he said.
This statement only highlights Pietersen's faith in Samson's ability to handle challenging deliveries.
Performance review
Samson's performance in T20I series under scrutiny
Samson's performance in the ongoing T20I series has been disappointing, having scored only 34 runs across three matches.
His average is 11.33 and his strike rate reads 103.33.
Notably, Archer has dismissed Samson all three times in this series.
Despite these numbers, Pietersen insists that players like Samson and Abhishek Sharma are bound to have their ups and downs when batting at the top.
Stats
A look at the wicketkeeper batter's T20I stats
Samson has played in 40 T20Is (36 innings), scoring 844 runs at an average of 26.37.
Meanwhile, his strike rate reads 152.07, while he also boasts three hundreds and two fifties.
Additionally, all his tons in T20Is were smashed in 2024.
Notably, his highest T20I score is 111, which he managed against Bangladesh during the home series in 2024.
Do you know?
Samson vs Archer in the ongoing series
As per Cricbuzz, across 3 innings, Archer has bowled 15 balls to Samson. The batter has scored 8 runs, being dismissed thrice. Notably, 12 of these deliveries have been on the shorter side which has accounted for the three dismissals.