Sanju Samson joins Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul in India's elite club

Sanju Samson (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson was at his majestic best in the second T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.Samson had scored just 10 runs in the opening T20I and was under pressure to perform.

He responded in style, smashing a 22-ball 57 to give India a flying start.Samson continued to take risks and looked determined to make up for his early dismissal in the first game.

Samson's form under the spotlight

The Kerala batter was a key player in India's T20 World Cup triumph, but his form has been inconsistent since then.He had scored only 33 runs in four innings before the Afghanistan series.With youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also pushing for a place, Samson needed a strong performance.

The upcoming Asian Games also added to the importance of his form.

Samson hits 57 off 22 balls

After India restricted Afghanistan to 159/8 in 20 overs, Samson came out attacking from the start.He smashed 57 off just 22 balls, with seven fours and four sixes. His quickfire knock helped India get off to a flying start in the chase.

Samson reaches 1,000 T20I runs as opener

Samson also completed 1,000 runs as an opener in T20Is during his innings. He became only the fifth Indian opener to cross the 1,000-run mark in the format.

Rohit Sharma leads the list with 3,750 runs, followed by KL Rahul (1,826), Shikhar Dhawan (1,759) and Abhishek Sharma (1,726). Samson now has 1,026 runs as an opener.Samson has also scored those runs at a strike rate of 181.59, which is the highest among the five Indian openers on the list.

1,000-plus runs as an opener for India in T20Is:

• Rohit Sharma – 3,750 (SR: 143.02, Bnd%: 20.33)
• KL Rahul – 1,826 (SR: 136.98, Bnd%: 17.34)
• Shikhar Dhawan – 1,759 (SR: 126.36, Bnd%: 17.31)
• Abhishek Sharma – 1,726 (SR: 191.56, Bnd%: 31.63)
• Sanju Samson – 1,026 (SR: 181.59, Bnd%: 29.73)

Samson's 50-plus trend

This was Samson's 16th innings in T20Is this year. Interestingly, the four times he has faced more than 15 balls, he has gone on to score more than 50.His previous three such scores came in must-win matches at the T20 World Cup: 97* off 50 balls against West Indies, 89 off 42 against England in the semi-final and 89 off 46 against New Zealand in the final.