Sanju Samson unleashes never-before-seen roar in message to selectors for T20WC after outshining KL Rahul in LSG vs RR

Sanju Samson, on hitting the winning runs against LSG, unleashed a roar, almost telling the selectors 'Boss, I am here too'.

What more does Sanju Samson have to do to earn a place in India's T20 World Cup squad? Score runs? He's already done that. Keep well? Done that too. Captain his team to the top of the IPL 2024 points table? Well… also check. Play a match-winning knock to guide his team home? Yes sir… been there, done all of that. And to think of it… it may still not be enough to book Samson a ticket to the USA and West Indies. Such is the fight for India's wicketkeeper slot at the moment, with Rishabh Pant and even KL Rahul pressing hard.

Sanju Samson's celebration said it all (ANI)

With 385 runs from nine matches, Samson is the leading run scorer among all Indian wicketkeeper batters in the ongoing IPL 2024, his unbeaten 77 off 33 balls to guide the Rajasthan Royals home against Lucknow Super Giants in a chase of 197 probably being the best of the lot. The importance of playing the T20 World Cup could be estimated from the fact that even someone like Samson, who usually possesses a quiet and calm demeanour, couldn't help but burst into a never-before-seen celebration. The RR captain, on hitting the winning runs unleashed a roar, almost telling the selectors 'Boss, I am here too'.

When it comes to big tournaments, Samson has always been dealt a rough hand. He is yet to be selected in any World Cup squad of India. The closest chance he had was in 2022, but the selectors persisted with Pant there too. This is Samson's biggest opportunity to be part of an Indian 15 that is set for one more shot at T20 World Cup glory. On current form, it's no rocket science that he deserves it, but one more individual who cannot be ignored is Pant. The Delhi Capitals captain has made a brilliant comeback to competitive cricket, scoring 371 runs at an average of 46.38 to straightaway jump into contention.

The unexpected KL Rahul surprise for Sanju Samson

For the longest part, it was Pant vs Samson for the Indian wicketkeeper's lot. Oh sure, for a while, chatter of Dinesh Karthik possibly getting a look took place, but that ship has long sailed. However, a third candidate in KL Rahul emerged. The captain of the Lucknow Super Giants has also performed admirably, amassing 378 runs from nine matches. Surprisingly, this means that Pant is the lowest run-scorer among all three. However, if there's one thing we've learned from the selectors' tendencies, it's that the obvious choice will always prevail.

Since last night's knock, the clamours for Samson's inclusion have grown exponentially, especially after winning a see-saw battle against Rahul. The LSG captain looked in great nick himself, scoring 76 off 48 balls at a strike-rate of 158.33. But amid reports that Rahul could just get the preference ahead of Samson, the RR skipper took matters into his own hands and overshadowed his India teammate in a display of pure batsmanship. Forget keeping, Samson's innings put him in a different class.

The panache, the finish, the grace… this was the Samson of 2014 all over again, where everything he touched turned to gold. And well, to be fair, IPL 2024 is proving to be nothing short of it. The look of grimace on Rahul's face said it all. Maybe it was the result, or the fact that deep down he was aware that Samson had outshined him on his home ground. On the contrary, Samson's celebration was similar to MS Dhoni's in 2010 when he mouthed away and punched his helmet on pulling off a successful chase.

The deadline to announce the squad is May 1, which means that the BCCI selection panel still has four days to knuckle down the final 15. Agarkar's panel gives out different vibes. It isn't one of those 'expect the expected' kind of things. Come on Ajit, give the public what they want. Give them Samson. Give them that World Cup which Indian cricket has been longed for in ages.