'Why Is Sanju Not In The Side?'

'He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'

A returning Sanju Samson smacked a quick 37 off 22 balls at the top of the order.

IMAGE: A returning Sanju Samson smacked a quick 37 off 22 balls at the top of the order. Photograph: BCCI

Sanju Samson returned to the Indian T20I team in the 5th T20I against South Africa on Friday and showed why he is a real asset at the top of the innings.

Promoted to the top of the order, Samson made an immediate impact, attacking from the outset and helping India dominate the powerplay.

At the other end, Abhishek Sharma set the tone early, smashing three consecutive boundaries off Marco Jansen to put the South African attack under pressure. Samson was eventually dismissed for a 22-ball 37.

SCORECARD

Former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri, who was commenting on the match during Samson's effortless strokeplay, questioned the team management for keeping him on the sidelines.

'Why is he not in the side in the first place? When you see him play like this, you can't help but wonder why it took an injury to bring him in,' Shastri said.

'He is a natural at the top of the order. He already has 300 in T20 cricket, including two back-to-back hundreds against South Africa. He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'

Sanju Samson completed 1000 T20I runs and 8000 T20 runs on Friday

IMAGE: Sanju Samson completed 1,000 T20I runs and 8,000 T20 runs on Friday. Photograph: BCCI

Batting with his trademark effortlessness, Sanju used his supple wrists to flick a six over mid-on and played a couple of eye-catching drives.

He marked his return to the playing XI by reaching 1,000 runs in T20 Internationals, the 14th Indian player to do so, joining an elite list of cricketers including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina among others.

En route, he completed another milestone, scoing 8,000 runs in T20 cricket, becoming only the seventh Indian to do so.

Samson's inclusion came at the expense of Vice-Captain Shubman Gill, who was ruled out of the last two matches of the series due to a toe injury.

Samson's 37 on the day was four runs more than Gill's combined tally of 33 across the three T20Is against South Africa.

With the BCCI selectors set to meet on Saturday, December 20, it will be interesting to see if Friday's performance guarantees him a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

India will co-host the T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka, starting on February 7.