Sanju Samson's Record vs Afghanistan As India's Opening Dilemma Intensifies For 1st T20I

Sanju Samson for India - (Source: AFP)On Sunday, September 13, India are all set to lock horns against Afghanistan in the 1st of three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The Men in Blue have named a star-studded side as they are aware of the danger the Afghans possess. The Shreyas Iyer-led side has an interesting selection headache, and Sanju Samson is the biggest talking point. It has been a roller-coaster year for Sanju Samson. The right-handed batter was behind Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the T20 World Cup but won the player of the tournament award with three brilliant knocks in the business end of the competition.Sanju Samson Or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? A Big Headache For Gautam Gambhir and Co.Samson had a poor UK tour, where he amassed just 33 runs in four innings. History repeated itself, and Samson faced competition from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma. At present, India have all three openers - Abhishek, Vaibhav, and Sanju in the squad, and the biggest debate on social media is which two will feature in the 1st T20I against Afghanistan. The Samson fan army and several cricket pundits have argued that Sanju should be picked ahead of Vaibhav since it's a fresh series.Also Read: Hardik Pandya Ruled Out Of India vs West Indies ODIs, Virat-Rohit Status RevealedSanju Samson Snubbed For Zimbabwe; Returns For Afghanistan ChallengeFor the unversed, Samson was dropped from the team against England, which allowed the 15-year-old to make his debut. However, Sooryavanshi flopped in England, prompting India to revert to Sanju. Now, the BCCI rested Sanju Samson for the Zimbabwe series, where Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seized the opportunity and scored 151 runs in 3 innings.Therefore, the fans are divided on whether Samson or Sooryavanshi will start, assuming Abhishek Sharma is the only opener with a secure spot at the top. Amid the heated debate, this article will focus on Sanju Samson’s stats against Afghanistan in T20Is.Sanju Samson: Only Indian Without A Run vs Afghanistan in T20IsIt is worth noting that Sanju Samson is the only Indian who has played against Afghanistan and not scored a solitary run. The 31-year-old has played just one game against the Afghans and scored a duck.CriteriaSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableDataSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableInningsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table1SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRunsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table0SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableDucksSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table0SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table(Sanju Samson's T20I stats vs Afghanistan)Sanju got a chance to feature in the playing XI in the 3rd T20I on January 17, 2024, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was an epic 212-run game where the match went into a super over, and India clinched a heroic.India, batting first, put 212 runs on the board. Sanju Samson was asked to bat at No. 5, and the CSK opener had a two-minute stay at the crease. Samson registered a golden duck and fell prey to Fareed Ahmed.It was the last T20I played between India and Afghanistan. Interestingly, Virat Kohli also scored a golden duck in that match, but Virat also has a century against the Afghans, leaving the CSK opener as the only Indian without a run against Afghanistan in T20Is.Also Read: Ruturaj Gaikwad's Comeback For India vs West Indies ODIs Fuelled