Sanju Samson’s experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the former captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and his increasing consistency and maturity with the bat have led former Indian coach Ravi Shastri to believe that Samson is a contender for the national team’s T20I captaincy. Two months ago, Suryakumar Yadav led India to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title at home. Samson was named “Player of the Tournament” after scoring 321 runs in five innings, including three consecutive half-centuries from the title match against New Zealand to the crucial Super Eight match against the West Indies.
Ravi Shastri Backs Sanju Samson
“India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years. But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he’s done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals),” Shastri said, speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review as quoted by ICC.
According to Shastri, Samson is a given in the starting lineup because of his destructive batting.
“So I see him, this is just the start of something more you will see from Sanju over the next two or three years,” he added.
Samson had led the Rajasthan Royals through five IPL seasons, including their runners-up finish in 2022.
Samson has been in the best form of his life in international cricket, and during the ongoing IPL season, he has translated that form for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), scoring 430 runs in 11 innings at an average of 53.75 and a strike rate of 169.29 with two hundreds and a fifty. Samson has scored 797 runs in 21 innings at an average of 46.88 and a strike rate of 177.50 this year in Twenty20 cricket, including two hundreds and four fifties.
Sanju’s consistency has been questioned in the past, but Shastri believes it is no longer a problem because this year’s performance demonstrates a growing maturity.
“I think he (Samson) has put a lid on all those question marks. There was always ability. People would, in fact, be disappointed because he wouldn’t do justice to that ability,” Shastri noted.
“But my word this season, the way he has played after his performance in the T20 World Cup where single-handedly he almost won India games, the big games, the quarter-finals (West Indies, Super 8), semi-finals, the final, and the way he stepped up and the maturity he has shown now in the IPL, makes him a clear case as far as I’m concerned for leadership in the future,” he signed off.
