Sanju Samson To Become Next T20I Captain? Ex-India Star Makes Explosive Prediction
Mohammad Kaif believes that Sanju Samson can become the next Indian cricket team T20I captain after his brilliant performances in the T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Kaif believes that Sanju Samson can become the next Indian cricket team T20I captain after his brilliant performances in the T20 World Cup. Samson slammed three consecutive half-centuries, including two in the semifinal and final, to guide his team to a record third T20 World Cup title. The wicket-keeper batter, who has captained Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was instrumental in his team's success and his redemption story has earned his praise from both fans as well as experts. Kaif said that Samson is a good fit because of his experience in the shortest format of the sport and the ex-India batter pointed out that his stint as a captain in the IPL can also help him a lot if he succeeds Suryakumar Yadav.
“Tough to say right now as to who would become the next captain, but Samson could well be the one. I mean, why not? A Captain must be someone who has seen the world. Implementing bowling changes, playing the perfect XI, and backing players out of form, as with Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakaravarthy. A captain would know that these things happen. They themselves have gone through this. They understand these little things,” Kaif told Ravish Bisht in a video.
“So, I feel, Samson sure can be a candidate. However, if Surya keeps playing well then he can hold on to the position longer. If you're fit, you can play till 38-39. There's no problem. And in the shorter format, you need more experience. Someone who has captained remains forever valuable. If Surya decides to step down, Sanju can fill that position. He has captained a lot in the IPL and took the Rajasthan Royals to the final (2022). He is only 31. Might be the next Indian captain.”
Samson scripted a comeback for ages, as he overcame poor form and exclusion from the playing eleven to shine when everything was at stake. Having scored just 46 runs in five innings against New Zealand before this tournament, Samson lost his place in the team to Ishan Kishan.
When a leftie-dominant top-order was struggling against off-spin, destiny handed Sanju a second chance.
Right from the virtual quarterfinal against West Indies to the title clash against New Zealand, Samson displayed remarkable strokeplay and broke records.
Samson made 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, with 27 fours and 24 sixes, and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. He also surpassed Virat Kohli's total of 319 runs in 2014.
(With agency inputs)
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Sanju Samson