Sanju Samson can topple Dhoni and Pant in Asia Cup final despite limited chances

Sanju Samson could make T20I history in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. Despite limited chances, the wicketkeeper-batter is closing in on records set by MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant.

India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is gearing up for a chance to make T20I history, and the Asia Cup final against Pakistan is the perfect stage. Despite limited opportunities this tournament, Samson could surpass the legends MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant to set a record for the best performance by an Indian keeper-batter in a multi-nation T20I event.

While India’s top order has been firing and already boasting superiority over Pakistan twice in this tournament, Samson’s contributions, though crucial, have flown under the radar.

So far in the Asia Cup, Samson has made the most of his chances. In three innings, he has scored 108 runs at an average of 36.00 with a strike rate of 127.05. Just 64 more runs, and he’ll overtake Pant, who racked up 171 runs in eight innings during India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, averaging 24.42 with a strike rate of 127.61 and a top score of 42.

Then there’s the benchmark: Dhoni. During India’s title-winning ICC T20 World Cup 2007 campaign, he scored 154 runs in six innings at 30.80, striking at 128.33, with a crucial 36 in the semifinals against Australia.

What makes Samson’s potential record even more exciting is that he hasn’t opened in this tournament, the spot he revived his T20I career from last year. With the return of Shubman Gill in the T20I side, it has been him and Abhishek Sharma at the top, leaving Samson at No. 5, where he has delivered standout knocks of 56 against Oman, 13, and 39 in other innings.

Adding another milestone to the chase, Samson is just 31 runs shy of 1,000 T20I career runs. In 48 matches, he has 969 runs at an average of 26.18, a strike rate above 149, three fifties, three centuries, and a top score of 111.

As India gears up for the high-stakes final against Pakistan, all eyes will be on Samson—not just for his milestone chase but also for his potential match-winning impact in the middle order if the top-order batters struggle against Pakistan’s pace duo, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.

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