Sanju Samson was off to a fluent start with the bat in hand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium after Namibia asked India to bat first in New Delhi. With three sixes and a four in his first seven deliveries, Samson looked set to explode for a massive innings in Abhishek Sharma’s absence.
However, Samson ended up chipping one rather tamely down to a deep midwicket fielder, ultimately being forced to walk back to the pavilion after scoring 22(8). It was a good start, and one India went on to build on – but also a soft dismissal, one which let Namibia escape with a wicket after Samson seemed to fall into a pre-arranged trap.
After the dismissal, broadcast cameras cut to the Namibia dugout, where players and support staff were applauding the wicket taken by Ben Shikongo, Louren Steenkamp with the catch. Namibia mentor and team consultant Gary Kirsten looked stony-faced at first, but then burst into a round of laughter as the catch was claimed.
Namibia's tactics paying off despite Kishan blitzkrieg
South African legend Kirsten, who is very familiar with the Indian team of years gone by, is currently with the Namibian team as a consultant for the T20 World Cup. With the significance of coaching and setting tactical plans at this level becoming increasingly evident, it might be safe to say that Samson was planned for, with this kind of dismissal seemingly cooked up by the Namibian think-tank.
{{/usCountry}}South African legend Kirsten, who is very familiar with the Indian team of years gone by, is currently with the Namibian team as a consultant for the T20 World Cup. With the significance of coaching and setting tactical plans at this level becoming increasingly evident, it might be safe to say that Samson was planned for, with this kind of dismissal seemingly cooked up by the Namibian think-tank.
{{/usCountry}}Abhishek Sharma was earlier dismissed by a similar tactical plan in the match against the USA, as the American team set a deep cover from the very first ball to stifle his strongest scoring area early in the match. Abhishek was dismissed on his first ball, and Samson’s stay as his replacement for this match didn’t last long.
While Samson’s knock added extra emphasis early on, it proved to be a short one – and one which won’t cause too many headaches in the Indian camp in terms of selection choices down the line. Samson’s opening partner on the night Ishan Kishan stepped up with a 20-ball fifty, finishing on a score of 61(24), but Namibia begin to fight back with a flurry of wickets as the spinners choke the scoring rate.