India’s Sanju Samson (AP /PTI)

Sanju Samson produced a captain’s knock when Kerala needed him the most, holding a shaky innings together with an unbeaten 73 in a low-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture against Andhra Pradesh at the A.B. Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow. On a surface where every other Kerala batter failed to reach even 15, Samson stood tall and carried his side to 119 for 7. It was his second fifty of the current campaign. The Kerala skipper’s latest effort has pushed his overall T20 tally to 7,996 runs in 319 matches at an average of 30.06 and a strike rate of 136.75. The knock marked his 51st T20 half-century, complementing his six career T20 hundreds. Of these, 995 runs have come in T20Is for India from 51 matches, where he owns three centuries and three fifties.

In SMAT, Samson has now compiled 19 half-centuries. This season alone, he has amassed 233 runs in six games at an impressive 58.25, including scores of 51* (41), 43 (15), 46 (28), and now 73* (56). His domestic form comes at a time when questions over his role in India’s T20 setup continue to surface. Samson, who had an average Asia Cup but still finished as India’s third-highest run-getter with 132 runs — behind Abhishek Sharma (314) and Tilak Varma (213) — was shifted away from his preferred opening slot to fit Shubman Gill at the top. Despite boasting three T20I centuries as an opener, Samson was pushed into the middle and lower order during the Asia Cup and later dropped after just one innings in the Australia T20I series. Now part of India’s squad for the upcoming T20Is against South Africa, his place in the playing XI is far from guaranteed. With Jitesh Sharma also in the mix as a lower-order wicketkeeping option, the question remains: will Samson finally get a consistent run, or will he once again be left watching from the sidelines?