Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra praised Sanju Samson for his match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England after India registered a seven-run win at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.
Samson continued his rich form, scoring 89 runs off just 42 balls with the help of eight fours and seven sixes. Chopra noted that Sanju Samson hits sixes with the same ease with which Rohit Sharma clears the rope. Samson also had the rub of the green on his side as he was dropped by England captain Harry Brook when he was on 15.
In the virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies, Samson had scored 97 runs off just 50 balls.
“Sanju’s catch was dropped, and a catch becomes the match many times. It was a straightforward catch for Harry Brook, but he dropped it, and after that, Sanju shone. Luck favored him a little initially, and then he had to make his own luck. The way he batted deserves applause,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Six-hitting is an art. When you see that art in others, they hit the ball hard. However, when Sanju Samson’s bat strikes the ball, it feels like he has a Rohit Sharma-like ease while hitting sixes. He is not putting any power. He is not hitting the ball hard. He just flicks the ball and it goes into the stands. He is that kind of a player,” he added.
Chopra added that it is almost impossible to put the brakes on Sanju Samson once he gets on a roll.
“You will find one more thing with Sanju. When he gets on a roll, then he actually gets on a proper roll, good knocks come one after the other. The same thing happens when he gets out early. It becomes a kind of pattern of getting out early. Two innings have happened. Both were knockout games,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer warned New Zealand that they could be in trouble if Samson continues his dream form.
“New Zealand, we are warning you slightly because if Sanju comes in such form, things start looking slightly different. Sanju Samson got this chance with great difficulty. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to reach here. It felt like that when this tournament started as well, but back-to-back brilliant innings,” Chopra observed.
India will take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
