Former South African captain and legendary batter AB de Villiers has backed wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson to play all three formats for India. Samson, who has been on a spectacular run of form, recently scored two consecutive T20I centuries, with a blazing 111 off 47 balls against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on October 12, and an impressive 107 off 50 balls in the first T20I against South Africa on November 8 at Kingsmead, Durban.
In a video on his YouTube channel following Samson’s remarkable performance, de Villiers emphasized that the Kerala-based batter possesses the skill to succeed across all formats and in varied conditions. “Sanju Samson, who scored a massive 100. Back-to-back T20 hundreds, absolutely incredible. Am incredibly proud of the guy, I say proud because I do have a personal connection with him. We have been in touch for a number of years now. I have always been a big fan of Sanju Samson, I just love the way he plays, and I always want him to do well,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“He scored a 100 once at the Chinnaswamy Stadium against RCB, I was on the park and I realised that day, that this guy is something special and he is proving me right. For those of you who have followed Sanju Samson, I haven’t often seen him bat at a strike rate of more than 200, he is generally more conservative, he is usually between 140-160 and both these hundreds he has scored back-to-back have been very very fast and especially this last hundred,” he added.
Reflecting on Samson’s transformation as a player, de Villiers mentioned that Samson previously played with a more “conservative” approach, typically striking at 140-160. However, his recent centuries have displayed an aggressive side, with strike rates soaring over 200. “Something has triggered there, something has clicked in his game which is absolutely great to watch. The thing about him is that he makes it effortless out there. I don’t see much experimentation going out there. Not a lot of creativity in terms of funny shots, doesn’t seem that he wants to entertain the crowd and please someone, he just sticks in his little bubble and he just is easy on the eye,” said de Villiers.
De Villiers expressed hope that Indian selectors would take notice and include Samson in Test and ODI sides too. “Sanju has upped the gear in his game. I hope the selectors are watching this for all the formats. I want to see this guy play all the formats. I think he is someone who is really really special, someone who can play all the formats, in all conditions around the world. I think there is another gear, a sixth gear, I want to see it unfold,” he added.