Sanju Samson Aims To Break Record Of Most Runs By An Indian Wicketkeeper In… | Cricket News

One of the biggest positives for India going into the Asia Cup is Sanju Samson striking decently in the middle order. After a half-century against Oman, Samson delivered notable performances against Sri Lanka; a 23-ball 39 which included three maximums and four. He has been India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter throughout the tournament and stands a great opportunity to end the tournament on a high.

Samson is on the brink of a historic achievement as India gear up for the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. The wicketkeeper-batter could surpass the legendary MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant to record the best-ever performance by an Indian keeper-batter in a multi-nation T20I tournament.

So far in the Asia Cup, Samson has been impressive, scoring 108 runs in three innings at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 127.05. He needs 64 more to surpass Pant’s record.

Pant had a notable ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scoring 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.42 and a strike rate of 127.61, with a best of 42. Before him, Dhoni’s title-winning ICC T20 World Cup 2007 campaign saw him tally 154 runs in six innings at 30.80, striking at 128.33, including a crucial 36 in the semifinal against Australia.

Adding to the milestone watch, Samson is just 31 runs shy of reaching 1,000 T20I career runs. In 48 matches, he has amassed 969 runs at an average of 26.18 and an explosive strike rate above 149, with three fifties and three centuries, including a highest score of 111.

Samson’s standout performance came with a fluent half-century, 56 against Oman, while he has also contributed with 13 and 39 in two outings at No. 5. Interestingly, he has not opened during this campaign — a role that revived his T20I career last year — as Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma occupy the top spots.