IPL 2020 | Would rate Samson’s six-hitting ability at the same level as Rohit Sharma, claims Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir had high praise for Samson
|@ IPL T20
Gautam Gambhir has claimed that he rates the six-hitting ability of Sanju Samson, who produced a remarkable six-hitting exhibition on Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, at the same level as Rohit Sharma. In his 32-ball 74 that rocked Chennai Super Kings, Samson hit an astonishing 9 sixes.
Despite his inconsistency obstructing his progression to the next level, Sanju Samson has continued to remain one of the most elegant cricketers in the world, and on Tuesday versus CSK, the 25-year-old gave yet another reminder as to why he is rated so highly. Walking in to bat at 11/1 in the 3rd over, Samson dismantled a helpless Chennai attack and hit nine humongous sixes en route a 32-ball 74.
Samson’s knock was a batting exhibition of the highest order, and in the wake of the Keralite’s outrageous innings, Gautam Gambhir has claimed that he rates the 25-year-old’s six-hitting ability on par with Rohit Sharma, who is widely considered the best six-hitter in the entire world.
“I would probably rate him at the same level as Rohit Sharma. He makes it look absolutely effortless. I’ve seen Andre Russell, MS Dhoni, all those guys hit big sixes but the class of (Sanju) hitting those sixes is probably as close to Rohit Sharma,” Gambhir said in ESPNCricinfo’s ‘T20 Timeout’.
In the same show, former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta also expressed his admiration for the youngster and claimed that his ability to stand his ground and whack balls out of the park separated him from the rest.
“His six-hitting talent is fantastic. And the best part is that he’s not a slogger; his six-hitting ability is down the ground. What I really like is that he really doesn’t need to step out to hit a spinner. He can actually stand and hit big, huge sixes. And that’s a special ability to have,” Dasgupta said.
Rajasthan’s innings looked headed towards an underwhelming finish, but Jofra Archer produced an outrageous cameo in the final over bowled by Lungi Ngidi, where he struck an astonishing four sixes in a row. The pacer’s onslaught took RR’s score to 216/7 and Gambhir reckoned that the expensive last over was the turning point of the match.
“Probably the turning point of the game as well. Hitting those four sixes off Lungi Ngidi. That probably was a game-changer. Because at one stage, RR were looking at 190/195. I thought that was one of the game-changing moments.”
Gambhir also revealed that he was impressed by 27-year-old leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia, who provided timely breakthroughs for the side. Tewatia claimed the important wickets of Watson, Curran, and Gaikwad, and Gambhir said that the heart shown by the leg-spinner was commendable.
“Brilliant spell. He might have gone for some runs, but taking those three wickets - especially that of Shane Watson, who was looking to take the bowlers on - was crucial. You can go for runs, but Tewatia’s spell showed that if you have a big heart, and you’re still looking to take wickets in your mind, you can still be very successful. I thought it was a fabulous spell,” the 38-year-old said of Rahul Tewatia’s spell.
