Veteran Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik believes Sanju Samson has proven why he has received so much love and adoration over the years after his incredible maiden century against the Proteas in the series finale. The 29-year-old batter batted brilliantly to help the Men in Blue win their second ODI series in South African soil.
Sanju Samson’s ability to win matches for India at the highest level has been highly debated, but his lack of consistency has been a concern over the years. The Kerala-born batter scored his first international century against South Africa in the third One-Day International (ODI) to showcase his talent at the international level.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik believes Sanju Samson has proven his ability to demonstrate his skillset at the highest level and believes he has proven why he has received so much affection over the years. The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batter hailed him for taking up the opportunity at No.3, forming a crucial partnership with Indian captain KL Rahul and Tilak Varma.
“Sanju Samson has been in the Indian team for many years, not been part of many multi-nation tournaments. World speaks highly of him, he has the amount of supporters that the biggest players have, the love and affection of a lot of people. And he showed today why he has that.”
“In a series decider, gets his opportunity at No. 3, which he is very comfortable with, comes in, takes on the pressure, stitches a 52-run partnership with KL Rahul, but it was after that, that was very, very good what he did. In the 19th over, when KL Rahul fell to Wiaan Mulder, Samson and Tilak Varma really soaked the pressure between 19–35 overs. They were not getting boundaries at that stage,” Dinesh Karthik said.
At one end, Sanju Samson, who came to the crease with India 45/2, displayed patience and remained a soothing presence in the field. He slammed six fours and three sixes on his way to his maiden century, helping India to a competitive score of 296/8 in fifty overs alongside Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh.
Under Pressure, Sanju Samson Showed Why He Is Such A Good Player – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik hailed Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma for putting together a crucial partnership in the game, taking their time in the middle before going hard in the final 6 to 7 overs of their partnership, and praised the Kerala wicket-keeper batter for batting exceptionally well under pressure in Paarl’s tough conditions.
“They stitched a 116-run partnership, and the last 60 runs came in the final 6-7 overs when they started to hit boundaries. Samson made sure did not take too many risks as he knew he could make up for it later in the match. Sanju Samson, under pressure, showed why he is such a good player,” Dinesh Karthik added.
Sanju Samson stayed cool and composed throughout his innings in the series decider. The 29-year-old will now return to India after not being part of the Test squad for South Africa’s two-match series. He is expected to be called up to India’s T20I team for a three-match series against Afghanistan in 2024.
