Sanju Samson once again proved why he is among the most talked-about batters in Indian cricket. Playing in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025, the wicketkeeper-batter hammered an explosive 83 runs off just 41 balls, decorated with 9 massive sixes and 2 fours, against Alleppey Ripples on Sunday night. His fiery knock guided Kochi Blue Tigers to a comfortable chase of 177 runs, leaving the opposition bowlers helpless.
Samson’s Red-Hot Form Continues
This innings was Samson’s fourth straight fifty-plus score in the tournament. Before this match, he had already registered scores of 121 off 51, 89 off 46, and 62 off 37. His consistent dominance has once again sparked discussions around his role in the national side.
“𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒋𝒖 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑿𝑰 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆,” 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌.
Interestingly, while Samson has excelled as an opener in the KCL, the same opportunity may not come his way in the Indian squad. With Shubman Gill back as vice-captain and likely to partner Abhishek Sharma, the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, Samson may find himself competing for a slot in the middle order—a position where his record is less impressive.
A Clear Message for Gambhir and Team Management
Despite being in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, Samson’s place in the playing XI is uncertain. His chances largely rest on the decisions made by skipper Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir. By producing back-to-back match-winning knocks in the KCL, Samson seems to be knocking hard on the selectors’ door.
“𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆, 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓,” 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅.
Across 42 T20Is for India, Samson has scored 861 runs in 38 innings at an average of 25.38, including three centuries and two fifties. His resurgence last year, where he amassed 436 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 180.16, made him India’s standout T20I batter.
Looking ahead, Samson’s next major international assignment will be the Asia Cup 2025, beginning September 10 against the UAE. The much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai will be the real test, followed by a final group-stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
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