Sanjju Samson Faces Struggles as India Targets 220 in Third T20 Against South Africa

In the ongoing third T20 match between India and South Africa, wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson’s poor run of form continued as he was dismissed for a duck. Samson, who had scored two T20 centuries within a month, has now been dismissed for zero in both the second and third T20 matches of this series, both times at the hands of South African pacer Marco Jansen. With this, he became the third Indian batsman to be dismissed for a duck multiple times this year, following in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Samson Struggles in Crucial T20 Series

This series holds significant importance for Sanju Samson, especially after his brilliant performance in the first match, where he scored a century. However, his recent performances have been disappointing, as he was dismissed in the first over in both of the last two T20 matches against South Africa. Samson’s early dismissal in both games led to India’s lower-order needing to steady the ship. His failure also highlights his struggle in the shorter format of the game, as he now finds himself on a list of players with the most ducks in T20 internationals for India.

Most Ducks in T20 Internationals for India

Rohit Sharma leads the list with a total of 12 ducks in 159 matches. Despite the occasional failures, Rohit’s overall record in T20s remains remarkable. Following him is Virat Kohli, who has been dismissed for a duck 7 times in 125 T20 matches. Both players, who have retired from T20 internationals, have had extensive careers with numerous highs and occasional lows. In fourth place on this list is KL Rahul, who has been dismissed for zero five times in 68 T20 innings.

India’s Strong Total Despite Samson’s Duck

Despite Samson’s struggles, India posted an impressive total of 219/6 in their allotted 20 overs. The team was propelled by explosive batting performances from Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma. Varma was the standout performer, scoring a magnificent 107* off 56 balls, including 8 fours and 7 sixes. He shared a pivotal partnership with Abhishek Sharma, with the duo adding 106 runs for the second wicket. Sharma contributed a quickfire 50 runs off 25 balls, including 3 fours and 5 sixes, before being stumped out by Keshav Maharaj.

India will be looking to defend this massive target and secure a win in this crucial T20 encounter against South Africa.