‘Gambhir fought for him’: Pakistan cricketer on Sanju Samson’s rise in T20 World Cup

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing Sanju Samson, whose impressive performances have helped power India’s campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Samson has been in remarkable form in the tournament, scoring 232 runs in four matches at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73. His best knock came against the West Indies national cricket team in Kolkata, where he smashed an unbeaten 97 in a high-pressure chase in what was effectively a virtual quarter-final.

He followed that performance with a quickfire 89 off 42 balls against England national cricket team in the semi-final, helping India book a final against New Zealand national cricket team.

Speaking on a show on PTV Sports, Akhtar said Samson’s inclusion in the squad came after strong backing from Gambhir. “Samson has been in the Indian cricket circuit since 2014. There was a lot of hype around him earlier, but he had to wait for chances because of players like MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik,” Akhtar said.

According to Akhtar, Gambhir strongly supported Samson’s selection despite intense competition for places in the team. “Even now, Gambhir has fought with everyone to get him into the team. His selection has been done forcefully after a lot of scrutiny,” he added.

Samson’s knock of 89 against England also equalled Virat Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Kohli had scored 89 off 47 balls* against the West Indies in the semi-final of the 2016 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

The wicketkeeper-batter has also hit 16 sixes in the tournament, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s previous record of 15 sixes in a single T20 World Cup edition for India.

With India set to face New Zealand in the final, Samson’s form could prove crucial as the team aims to secure the title.