Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin wants Sanju Samson to finish the World Cup with a hundred. Sanju Samson has finally made it to the playing XI against Zimbabwe on Thursday night, playing an impactful knock of 24 runs off 15 balls. Ashwin is ok with these types of knock-offs from Sanju, but he also wants a century to boost the confidence of the wicketkeeper batter.
“Want Him to Finish the World Cup with a Hundred” - R Ashwin’s Big Remark on Team India Star After IND vs ZIM
Sanju Samson replaced Rinku Singh in the playing XI of India against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 game, where he gave a good start to the team with 24 runs off 15 balls.
At “Ash ki Baat” on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin shared his two perspectives on Sanju Samson. At first he said that if Sanju consistently gives this type of start to the team till the final, that would be good.
He said, "I will see this from two sides. One, Sanju Samson is the boy I know, and I know what he is capable of. Second is Samson for the Indian team. This team, in this World Cup, addressed the opening partnership in this game. We got a better start. If Sanju can give me 15-ball 28 and 16-ball 30 from here till the final, he would have done a job for the team. Maybe he can score big also, but he has done the job."
In the second perspective, Ashwin states that Samson the person needs a big score. He said, "For Samson the person, whom I like, I really do want him to stick in and make a huge score. There will not be a better opportunity than this. I want him to start well and capitalize as well. If you come here after years of hard work, in this platform, catch the flight. Even if you fall, you can say you tried at least. I would want him to finish the World Cup with a hundred, or that match-winning performance, for his confidence. He deserves it."
Additionally, Ashwin was not happy with the style of dismissal of the Samson. The former cricketer has recognized a pattern in the dismissals of Sanju and reckoned that Samson needs to make some changes.
"My concern for Sanju is the pattern of dismissals. He hit a pull shot that hit the sticker. He goes back and straight, not back and across. The body is closed. The problem is he goes behind, goes straight, and wants to hit it in front. He mishit a couple of pull shots. Maybe there is no need to change technically, but make a tactical change," he added.
Now Team India will face West Indies in the next game on 1st March 2026 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and this is a virtual quarterfinal for both teams. The winner will directly qualify for the Smei finals, where the loser will be eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2026.
