Just 31 runs away, a milestone awaits Sanju as India face Pakistan in Asia Cup final

Sanju Samson is just 31 runs away from reaching a major milestone in international T20I cricket. The Kerala star currently has 969 T20I runs to his name and is close to entering the 1,000-run club. 

With India set to face arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday in the Asia Cup final, Samson will have a high-stakes stage to chase the landmark.

However, his chances of taking the field remain uncertain. A natural top-order batter, Sanju has lost his spot as an opener since the start of the tournament, after Shubman Gill was selected in the team and partnered with Abhishek Sharma at the top.

In the last fixture against Pakistan during the Super 4 stage, Sanju batted at No 5 and managed just 13 runs off 17 balls. So far in the tournament, Samson has featured in six matches but has batted in only three innings, scoring a total of 108 runs. His highest score, a well-made 56 off 45, came against Oman, where he batted at No 3 position.

In the recently concluded match against Sri Lanka, Sanju played an entertaining knock of 39 runs after coming in to bat at the No 5 position. Interestingly, Shubman Gill, who replaced Sanju as Abhishek’s opening partner, has scored only 115 runs despite batting in all six matches. 

Moreover, after the game against Sri Lanka, Sanju became India’s leading wicketkeeper-batsman in terms of sixes hit in T20Is. With three sixes in that match, he took his tally to 55 sixes in just 48 innings, surpassing MS Dhoni’s record of 52 sixes in 85 innings.