Sanju Samson's maiden ODI fifty gives his fans a lot to cheer

For long his fans have been complaining he isn't getting enough opportunities at the highest level, while his critics doubted his drive and consistency.

Sanju Samson on Sunday evening gave his supporters a lot to cheer by cracking a fine half century (54) in India's chase of 312 in the second ODI against the West Indies at Port of Spain. Axar Patel ( 64 no) and Shreyas Iyer (63) were the top scorers.

Samson joined Iyer when the score read a troubling 79 for 3. Their partnership of 99 runs in 94 balls helped India take the chase deep. Samson went on to score his first ODI fifty in only his third match, before he was run out.


In his 54 runs of 51 balls, Samson mixed caution with aggression and showed flashes of the elegant power-hitting which earned him so many fans across the country. His innings had three sixes and three fours.

The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was first picked for the Indian squad in 2014, after he showcased his hitting prowess in the IPL and List A matches. He has so far played only 3 ODIs and 14 T20Is - not a lot of chances for someone who has been rated highly. But then, Samson too did not make the best use of the openings that came his way.

Among those who cheered his first fifty was the Rajasthan Royals team, which Samson recently led to its second ever IPL final.

After Samson was run out, Axar Patel smashed 64 of 35 balls to take India to a two-wicket win with just two balls to spare. It was Patel's maiden fifty too.