‘Shows the character of the man’- Suryakumar Yadav lauds Sanju Samson after consecutive T20I centuries

Sanju Samson has been a part of India’s system for a while, but he has consistently been denied opportunities. The cricket player, who was born in Kerala, was selected for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but he spent the entire competition warming up and only made an appearance when the starting lineup was missing. At this point, the keeper-batter has a few reliable opportunities in the national squad and has seized them by smashing tonnes after tonnes.

He also made history by becoming the first cricketer from India to score consecutive hundreds in the shortest format. Samson created havoc in Durban, blasting 107 runs off 50 balls while all the other batsmen were struggling to get the ball moving. His outstanding knock helped India score 202 runs in the first innings and win the match by 61 runs.

Suryakumar Yadav, the captain, showered Samson with plaudits after the game for his selfless knock for the team. Even when the 29-year-old batted in the 90s, he didn’t shift gears, search for boundaries, or play for the team, he said.

He is reaping the rewards of the years of arduous labour he has done, accomplishing the tedious tasks. Playing for the team demonstrates the man’s character, which is what we look for, and even though he was in his 90s, he was still seeking a boundary, Suryakumar stated during the post-match presentation.

Without fear, we wish to play: Suryakumar Yadav

When the selectors chose Suryakumar over Hardik Pandya as the T20I captain, they were taking a risk. But so far, he has performed admirably, winning all four games, and he will aim to complete the South Africa series undefeated. The skipper, who spoke about his journey thus far, said that the team wants to play fearlessly and that the players have made it easier by sticking to the aggressive batting arrangement.

“By displaying a fearless attitude and having fun both on and off the pitch, the boys have made my job easier and I don’t have to worry about anything.”

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The kind of cricket we play allows us to play fearlessly, even if we lose a few wickets. While we are aware that we have 20 overs in this Twenty20 match, Suyakumar said, “why not score 200 in 17 overs?”