Sanju Samson played a brilliant innings to help India beat Zimbabwe in the fifth T20I match at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 14. The Indian wicketkeeper batter top-scored with 58 runs off 45 balls to help India survive an early collapse while batting first in the series finale.
India lost the first three wickets in the powerplay but Samson stood strong with a mature and sensible innings in tough playing conditions. Samson smashed a 39-ball fifty to celebrate his only second T20I fifty and his first half-century as a designated wicketkeeper batter.
The 29-year-old batter became the first-ever Indian wicketkeeper to score a fifty against Zimbabwe in T20Is. No Indian wicketkeeper had scored a 50-plus score in the first 12 T20 encounters against Zimbabwe. And surprisingly no batter had scored a century in India vs Zimbabwe T20Is before Abhishek Sharma's 100 off 47 balls in the second match of this series.
Meanwhile, Samson registered one four and four big sixes during his match-defining innings at Harare Sports Club. After launching his second six of the game, Samson completed 300 sixes in T20 cricket. He became the only seventh Indian cricketer to record 300-plus sixes in the shortest format of the game.
Samson smashes 110 meter six
Samson also stole the limelight by hitting a mammoth six in the 12th over of India's innings. Samson went down to the ground to smash a big six off Brandon Mavuta over the long-on which measured 110 meters, the biggest of the five-match series. The ball crossed the stands and lost beyond the camera's scope. Umpires had to resume the game with a new ball but Samson delivered it into the stands with a stunning inside-out shot over the deep covers.
After Samson's departure, Shivam Dube contributed to India's challenging total by smashing 26 runs off 12 balls. Dube also made an impressive impact with a ball with two big wickets and claimed the Player of the Match award.
