Sanju Samson set to break this MS Dhoni record (T20Is)
What's the story
India's dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is on the cusp of breaking MS Dhoni's monumental batting record in the upcoming T20I series against England.
The five-match series will be played in India, starting on January 22.
Notably, Samson has been on a roll in T20Is lately, having scored three tons in his last five innings in the format.
Here are further details.
Record chase
Samson's chance to surpass Dhoni in upcoming series
The first match of the much-anticipated series will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
This game gives Samson a rare chance to outdo Dhoni on an exclusive list.
Having established himself as a clean striker in white-ball cricket, Samson has become India's first-choice opener in T20Is after Rohit Sharma's retirement.
He has already scored three centuries since being promoted to the role.
Sixes showdown
Samson's potential to break Dhoni's sixes record
Samson could also break Dhoni's record of most sixes. If he hits six more in the England series, he will break Dhoni's record of 52 sixes in T20Is.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Samson is just six maximums away from Dhoni (46 maximums in 33 innings).
With his fourth maximum in the series, he will become the 10th Indian batter to hit a half-century of sixes in T20Is.
Stellar stats
Here are his T20I numbers
In the recent South Africa T20Is, Samson showed his batting prowess, scoring 216 runs at an average of 72 and strike rate of 194.59.
Overall, Samson has scored 810 runs across 37 T20Is at 27.93 as his strike rate reads 155.17 (50s: 2, 100s: 3).
Each of Samson's three tons have come in 2024. No other batter has scored more than two T20I centuries in a calender year.