Team India keeper-batter Sanju Samson’s woeful run continued as he was dismissed for a single-digit score in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, January 31. The star batter, who is under pressure, perished for just six runs, registering his third single-figure score of the series and putting himself under even more scrutiny ahead of the World Cup.
There was a buzz around, with the elegant right-handed batter playing on his home ground. But the dismissal brought the excitement down. It came in the third over of the innings as Samson looked to drive over cover against Lockie Ferguson, but managed only a thick outside edge straight to Bevon Jacobs at deep third man.
Here’s the video of Samson’s dismissal.
The Kerala-born cricketer had got off to a streaky start as an edge off Kyle Jamieson’s bowling evaded the keeper to run away for a boundary. But the 31-year-old couldn’t ride the fortune and make a much-needed big score.
With Ishan Kishan showing brilliant form in two out of his three innings in this series, the management could make the call to drop Samson from the XI in the T20 World Cup.
Team India lose Abhishek Sharma after Sanju Samson
Ferguson, playing his first game, dismissed the second Indian opener in Abhishek Sharma too to peg back the hosts in the fifth T20I. The right-arm pacer’s speed made the difference as Abhishek danced down the track but missed the ball completely for the stumps to be shattered.
The home side had won the toss and opted to bat first. They announced three changes, drafting in Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan for Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav. New Zealand also triggered three changes, bringing in Finn Allen, Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson for Devon Conway, Bevon Jacobs and Matt Henry.
The Men in Blue currently hold a series lead of 3-1.
Edited by Sankalp Srivastava
