Ganguly backs Samson as white-ball regular
The Hindu
Sourav Ganguly endorses Sanju Samson as a consistent white-ball player after his impressive performance against the West Indies.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday (March 2, 2026) backed Sanju Samson to feature consistently in India's white-ball squads and expressed surprise at the criticism about the swashbuckling keeper-batter in the run-up to the T20 World Cup.
Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls— his first fifty in 13 innings— to anchor India's 196-run chase in what was a virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies here on Sunday (March 1, 2026).
Terming it an outstanding knock, Ganguly said: "He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in white-ball cricket— 100%.
"It was a virtual quarterfinal, and to be 97 not out shows his quality. He's that sort of a player... when he gets in, he will hurt the opposition."
The innings came on a day when India's most established batters— Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya— departed cheaply.
But Samson absorbed the pressure, paced the chase smartly, and batted till the end playing a risk-free game.
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