Under-pressure Sanju Samson slams second-fastest T20I ton for India

Sanju Samson, on October 12 (Saturday), smashed the second-fastest T20I ton for India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The right-handed batter from Kerala got to the landmark off just 40 deliveries in the third T20I against Bangladesh. 

The 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain, Rohit Sharma, has the fastest century for India in the 20-over format. The right-handed opener, who has now retired from T20Is, smashed a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.

Samson was under immense pressure coming into the final T20I against Bangladesh. Having managed scores of 29 and 10 in the first two T20Is, Samson was averaging just 19.32 after 28 innings in T20Is. He had just two fifties before this. 

With Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal rested for the series, this was probably Samson’s last opportunity to prove his worth, and boy he didn’t disappoint. The wicketkeeper-batter slammed 111 off 47 deliveries, studded with 11 fours and eight maximums.

Samson started his innings in prime fashion, crafting four consecutive boundaries off Taskin Ahmed in the second over. If that wasn’t enough, Samson whacked Mustafizur Rahman for a four and a six and kept his strike rate above 200 thereafter.

Samson was timing the ball like a dream, hitting everything off the middle of his bat. Rishad Hossain too felt the wrath of his willow. The legspinner was hit for two fours and a six in his first over but his worst was yet to come. Samson got to his fifty off 22 deliveries, the fastest for India against Bangladesh.

Talking about Hossain’s worst, he returned to bowl the 10th over and this time Samson ended up clobbering him for five consecutive sixes. The first one was a dot but the next five went over the fence. The 30 runs collected was the third-joint highest by an Indian batter.

Samson eventually reached the triple-figure mark with a boundary down the ground off Mahedi Hasan in the first delivery of the 12th over. In the process, Samson also registered the fourth-fastest hundred by a full-member batter in T20Is. It was also the fastest by a wicketkeeper-batter in T20Is (among full-members).

Samson’s mind-blowing innings ended in the 14th over when he mistimed a change-up delivery from Mustafizur straight to the fielder at deep square leg.

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