Sanju Samson Surpasses Dhoni, Pant To Become First Indian Wicketkeeper To Score T20I Century

Sanju Samson in third T20I Vs BAN (Source: @isanjusamson11/x.com)

Sanju Samson lit up the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad with an explosive century in the third T20I against Bangladesh on Saturday (October 12). The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter smashed an incredible 111 runs off just 47 balls, marking his maiden T20I century. This fiery knock helped him to reach a new benchmark as the first Indian wicketkeeper to achieve the feat in T20Is.

Samson's explosive innings was a display of power and precision along with sheer class. The Kerala player hammered 11 fours and 8 towering sixes, to reach his century in just 40 deliveries—the second-fastest T20I century by an Indian. His aggressive approach at the top order laid the foundation for India’s massive total (297/6), which is now the second-highest score ever in T20I history. 

Sanju Samson Enters In Elite List 

The innings came at a critical time for Sanju Samson as he was under pressure to perform after a few underwhelming outings in the series. However, he silenced all critics by delivering one of the finest innings of his career, unleashing his true potential and capability. His century surpassed the previous highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper in T20Is, which was 89, set by Ishan Kishan against Sri Lanka in February 2022. 

Interestingly, Sanju Samson's previous highest score of 77 in T20Is came as an opener against Ireland but in that match he was not playing as a wicket-keeper batsman. It is also worth mentioning that he became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to reach the triple figure mark in T20Is. 

It would not be wrong to say that it was Sanju Samson's show in the third T20I, as he etched another record to his name. His remarkable innings also place him on the elite list, as he became the only 11th Indian batter to score a century in T20 internationals. He is now the sixth Indian, after Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill, to have scored centuries in both ODIs and T20Is for the Men in Blue.

With valuable contributions from Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, India defeated Bangladesh by a massive margin of 133 runs and won the series 3-0. 

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