New Delhi: Indian batsman Sanju Samson created such a storm in the second T20 match against Afghanistan that the spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium were enthralled. After being dismissed cheaply in the first match of the series, Samson made a strong comeback in the second match, reaching his half-century in just 20 balls. This is Samson’s fastest half-century in T20 international cricket.
Samson didn’t extend his innings for long, but during his time at the crease, he took the Afghan bowlers to task. He smashed 57 runs in just 22 balls . His innings included seven fours and four sixes . That means he hit 11 balls straight over the boundary. His strike rate was 259.09 .
Quiet for 10 balls, then Samson’s storm began.
Samson’s start was perhaps unimaginable, as he was batting so explosively in the next few minutes. He was batting for just 8 runs off his first 10 balls .
But then he shifted gears. Samson smashed 49 runs in the next 12 balls and reached his half-century in just 20 balls.
Mohammad Nabi concedes 20 runs in one over.
Samson’s most dangerous form came in the last over of the powerplay, hitting a series of big shots off Mohammad Nabi.
Samson hit a six, a four, a four, and a six in the over . 20 runs came from these four balls. India scored a total of 27 runs in this over, and by the end of the powerplay, the score reached 82/0 .
The opening pair of Samson and Abhishek Sharma added 88 runs in just 38 balls to make the chase very easy for India.
broke his own record
Samson’s previous fastest T20 International half-century came off 22 balls , which he made against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024.
He improved his own record by scoring a half-century in 20 balls against Afghanistan.
Samson also reached 1,000 runs as an opener in T20 International cricket during this innings . He became the fifth batsman from India to reach 1,000 runs as an opener in men’s T20 International cricket. This list already includes Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, and Abhishek Sharma.
India achieved its second consecutive victory
Afghanistan, batting first, made 159/8 . Nitish Kumar Reddy was the pick of the bowlers for India, taking three wickets.
Chasing the target, Samson and Abhishek gave India a flying start. Abhishek scored 39 runs in 19 balls, while Samson played an explosive innings of 57 runs. By the time Samson was dismissed, India was well on their way to victory. India won the match by 7 wickets and took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series .
Samson’s innings was also special because after his failure in the first match, there was debate about his place in the team. In the second match, he responded with the bat, not only giving India a quick start but also scoring his fastest T20 International half-century.