Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 28 Amidst chatter on whether Sanju Samson will retain his place in India’s playing eleven for the upcoming Asia Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter has continued his prolific preparation for the multi-nation event by hitting a quickfire fifty in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL).
Against Trivandrum Royals on Thursday, Samson hit a sparkling 37-ball 62 for Kochi Blue Tigers (KBT), laced with four boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 167.57. Samson had earlier scored 89 off 46 balls against Thrissur Titans and slammed a match-winning 121 off 51 balls against Aries Kollam Sailors in the competition.
His aggregate in the league stands currently at 285 runs in four innings coming at an average of 71.25 and a strike rate of 182. Samson’s good performances comes at a time when his place in India’s playing eleven is not a sureshot guarantee.
The return of Shubman Gill, who is India’s vice-captain for the competition and Jitesh Sharma being the second keeper-batter after having a great showing in Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning IPL 2025, means scrutiny is on Samson’s position.
But the wicketkeeper-batter is ensuring that he stays in touch with the game and post strong knocks to be in the reckoning for a spot in India’s playing eleven. Since his T20I debut in 2015, Samson has scored 861 runs in 38 T20I innings at an average of 25.38.
But in last 12 months, Samson has found success as an opener, by slamming three centuries against Bangladesh and South Africa respectively. India will open their Group A campaign against the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10, followed by a high-stakes clash against Pakistan at the same venue on September 14.
They will then face Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19. India has won the Asia Cup eight times, including emerging victorious in T20I edition of the competition held in Bangladesh in 2016. The 17th edition of the Asia Cup, set to happen in the UAE from September 9-28, marks India’s first T20I outing since winning the home series against England by 4-1 in January.
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