Sanju Samson's six - (Source: X.com)
On Thursday, February 26, India and Zimbabwe locked horns against each other at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. In a do-or-die match, the Men in Blue made two crucial changes, and the most noticeable one was Sanju Samson’s return to the team.
Following a heavy defeat against South Africa, India made a couple of changes to their combination and went ahead with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the openers for the Zimbabwe game.
Sanju Samson Steals The Show With Magnificent Six
Sanju Samson was under pressure as he was playing in his second match of the tournament. Further, it was his first game at the Chepauk Stadium since joining the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Notably, Samson got off to the perfect and dream-like start with a six off the second ball of the match.
Notably, on the second ball of Richard Ngarava’s over, Samson dispatched a short-pitched delivery for a six, and that too down the ground. It was a magnificent shot, and the fans were immediately reminded of Virat Kohli’s six to Haris Rauf during the India vs Pakistan 2022 T20 World Cup match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Even Gautam Gambhir was stunned by the quality of the hit and was seen laughing in the dressing room alongside India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
Sanju Samson Scripts History For India
As mentioned above, Samson played just a solitary match before this game which was against Namibia. He scored 22 runs in that match and started the innings with a six in the first over. Now, Samson has scripted a historic feat as he has become the first Indian to score a six in the first over of T20 World Cup twice.
Also Read: Sanju Samson Back! Who Has BCCI Replaced In India Playing XI In T20 World Cup Vs Zimbabwe?
Rohit Sharma has also achieved the feat in previous editions but only once. Samson is the first cricketer to do so for India.
Sanju Samson Fails To Convert Start Into Big Score
Similar to the Namibia match, Sanju Samson got off to a brilliant start but failed to convert it into a big score. The right-handed batter amassed 24 (15) and then threw his wicket away, taking his T20 World Cup 2026 run tally to 46 runs in two innings.
Abhishek Sharma returned to form after failed start to the campaign and scored a brilliant 26-ball fifty. It was his second-slowest fifty in T20Is, but runs off his bat was of utmost importance for the Indian fans.
With the knock, Abhishek also equalled Shikhar Dhawan's record for 11 T20I fifties, which is the fourth most by an Indian. Here is the complete list.
Most 50+ Scores for India as an Opener in T20Is:
- 32 - Rohit Sharma
- 21 - KL Rahul
- 11 - Shikhar Dhawan, Abhishek Sharma*
Also Read: "ICC = BCCI": Pakistan Accuse T20 World Cup Match-Fixing After SA’s Clean Victory Vs WI
