Sanju Samson failed to cash in on the opportunity handed to him in the XI against Zimbabwe, throwing away a bright start at Chepauk. Brought in for Rinku Singh, the right-hander was promoted to open the innings, while Ishan Kishan slotted in at No. 3. Samson got going in style, smashing a six off just his second ball and appearing confident during his short stay at the crease. In the following over, he took on Zimbabwe’s premier pacer Blessing Muzarabani, exposing his stumps before smoking a short ball over long-on for another six in a 10-run over. He found the gaps and looked set for a bigger contribution, but once again couldn’t build on the foundation, eventually falling for 24 off 15 deliveries at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which will be his IPL home ground from next season.
The breakthrough came on the fourth ball of the fourth over when Muzarabani cleverly took pace off the ball. Samson made room to target deep mid-wicket, but mistimed his shot, and Ryan Burl pouched a simple catch.
Ravi Shastri, who was commentating when Samson got out, said, “He’ll be disappointed with that.”
Meanwhile, batting great Sunil Gavaskar offered a sharp assessment of Samson’s dismissal, pointing out a familiar pattern in his mode of getting out. Gavaskar highlighted how Zimbabwe executed a well-laid plan to perfection, crediting the extra bounce generated by Blessing Muzarabani while underlining that teams continue to target that specific region to unsettle the Indian batter.
“He will be disappointed, because he’s got out so many times in that region. Everybody knows bowl short, have a deep square leg. And again, it is the height of Muzarabani, which has allowed the ball to bounce a little bit more. That’s why not quite off the middle of the bat. And so he got off to avery good start, 24 off 15. But he’s holed out in the deep once again. And India have lost their first wicket at 48,” Gavaskar said on-air on Jio Hotstar.
India make two changes in Playing XI
The fans at Chepauk erupted in joy when India skipper Suryakumar Yadav announced Samson’s return to the playing XI for the crucial clash at the toss, which Zimbabwe won and opted to bowl first. India also made another change, bringing in vice-captain Axar Patel, as they fielded two changes from the side that had lost to South Africa by 76 runs.
