Sanju Samson is facing intense pressure to retain his spot in an overcrowded Indian batting order and will have to make every opportunity count if he is to stave off competition in a World Cup year.
Thus, the wicketkeeper-batter's match-winning knock against Zimbabwe on Saturday could be seen as one that will not only boost his confidence, but will also extend the rope offered to him from the team leadership going forward.
Samson did not get a chance to bat in the opening game of the series but grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the second ODI, coming in to bat when India were in a spot of bother and guiding the Men in Blue to a series-clinching win with an unbeaten 43.
Also Read: Five talking points after India take 2-0 lead against Zimbabwe
And finish off in style he did in the end, as the Rajasthan Royals skipper hit the winning six, smashing the ball into the stands beyond long on. It was a shot that earned comparisons with MS Dhoni's memorable six off Nuwan Kulasekara eleven years ago by some Twitter users.
There was a fair amount of Indian presence at the Harare Sports Club and the crowd was chanting "Sanju! Sanju!" in the final moments of the game.
Samson perhaps did pay heed to those chants and decided to end things on a dramatic note instead of just going for the singles, giving the spectators their money's worth. The video of the crowd chanting his name followed by the six was shared by Rajasthan Royals on their official Twitter account with the caption: "The crowd was rooting for him. And Chetta didn’t disappoint."
Watch the video here:
The crowd was rooting for him. And Chetta didn’t disappoint. pic.twitter.com/swXFvjKynq
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 20, 2022
Earlier Shardul Thakur finished the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/38 as India produced another disciplined bowling effort after opting to field, bowling Zimbabwe out for 161. Thakur was included in the lineup in place of seamer Deepak Chahar, who had won the 'Player of the Match' award in the opening game, also for a three-for.
With the series in the bag, Team India will perhaps look to experiment with their lineup in the third and final ODI that takes place on Monday. India had played largely similar XIs in the first two games and could field a number of reserves in the dead rubber, giving those players a chance to prove themselves and stake claim to a spot in the World Cup squad.
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