Sanju Samson may well have sealed his spot in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup with a match-winning knock against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024 on Saturday night. The Rajasthan Royals captain slammed an unbeaten 71 off just 33 balls and shared an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 121 with Dhruv Jurel (52 not out) to taken his side closer to the playoffs.
It was a timely innings by Sanju as K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant - the other contenders for the wicketkeeper-batter's slot - had staked their claim with impressive knocks. Delhi Capitals skipper Pant smashed an unbeaten 88 to set up their four-run win over Gujarat Titans in their previous game. Rahul had made a classy 48-ball 76 to guide LSG to 196/5 at Lucknow. Sanju and Jurel made sure Royals chased down the stiff target with one over to spare.
Sanju has been a revelation with his batting this IPL. To add to it he's led from the front and been steady behind the stumps. Sanju demonstrated his range of strokes and game-changing ability by coming good in a crunch situation against LSG as Royals had slumped to 78/3.
The big change in Sanju's game this season has been the fact that he's shown the willingness to spend some time in the middle before opening out. He's made sure the selectors and the Indian think tank consisting of captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid can't ignore him when they pick the final 15 for the T20 showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the US in June.
Sanju has amassed 385 runs from nine matches in IPL 2024 at an average of 77. The 29-year-old Kerala captain has a stunning strike rate of 161.08. He's notched up four fifties and has a highest score of 82 not out. Sanju has also taken six catches and effected one stumping.
Rahul has a tally of 378 runs from nine games at an average of 42. The Karnataka player has three half-centuries to his credit at a strike rate of 144.27. His highest score being 82 against Chennai Super Kings in a winning cause. Rahul has nine catches and two stumpings in his kitty.
Pant, on the other hand, has amassed 371 runs from 10 outings on his comeback to competitive cricket after being on the sidelines for close to 15 months following a car accident. The left-hander has an average of 46.37, while his strike rate reads 160.6. He's registered three fifties, with 88 not out against Titans being his highest score. Pant has claimed 11 catches and effected three stumpings.
There is nothing much to choose among the trio. Sanju is second only to Virat Kohli (430) in the top run-getters' list followed by Rahul and Pant. Rahul's strike rate is a bit low compared to the other two, but to be fair to him his role is to set up a base for LSG. Also Rahul opens for his side, unlike the other two.
One won't be surprised if the selectors pick all three for the World Cup, with Rahul getting the nod as a specialist batter and Pant and Sanju being the stumpers. Sanju was unlucky to miss the mega events - whether it be the T20 World Cup or last year's ODI World Cup - in the past, but this time he's made a strong case for himself.