A T20I century was long due to Sanju Samson. The Kerala wicketkeeper batter is often criticised for not putting his immense talent to good use and wasting chance after chance. On Saturday, it was a different story...
There was evident relief on his face as Sanju Samson smashed the first century of his T20I career against Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, amidst the hard-hitting by the right-hander, it was his camaraderie with captain Suryakumar Yadav that caught the eyeballs on social media.
Surya was on the non-striker's end when Samson brought up his ton with a boundary. The Indian skipper gave him a long hug in the middle before the match resumed. He left behind his helmet as he ran to hug Samson, the telecast showed.
There was more communication between the duo when Samson was dismissed for 111 by Mustafizur Rahman. Suryakumar put his arms around Samson's shoulder as he made his way back to the pavilion. SKY kept talking to his teammate in an animated manner and there were broad smiles on their faces.
Netizens applauded the body language and reaction of the Indian skipper for elevating his player who has been under immense pressure.
Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav piled up misery on Bangladesh as they stitched a 173-run stand after the fall of Abhishek Sharma (4). While Samson's 111 came from 47 balls (11 fours and 8 sixes), Suryakumar Yadav smashed 75 from 35 (8 fours and 5 sixes).
India posted 297/6 in their 20 overs -- the highest T20I total ever by a team with Test status.