Sanju Samson joins Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in elite list. (Picture Credit: X/@BCCI)
Sanju Samson came out to bat at No. 4 for India in the 5th T20I, and with the help of one four and four sixes, he scored 58 runs from 45 balls.
Sanju Samson top-scored for India in the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe, which is currently underway at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on Sunday (July 14). In the final match of the tour, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter faced a total of 45 balls and, with the help of one four and four sixes, scored 58 runs. He added 65 runs for the fourth wicket with Riyan Parag to take India’s total to 167 for six in 20 overs.
Samson scored his second T20I fifty for India on Sunday and, during the process, joined legendary MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli in an elite list. The attacking batter becomes the seventh Indian cricketer to hit 300 or more sixes in T20s. In 276 matches played so far, Samson has 302 sixes to his name now.
Rohit Sharma holds the record for hitting the most sixes in T20s by an Indian batter. In 448 matches played so far, the T20 World Cup-winning captain has 525 sixes to his name. He is followed by Virat Kohli, who has smacked 416 sixes in 399 T20s. Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is third on the list with 338 sixes, and he is followed by Suresh Raina (325), Suryakumar Yadav (322), and KL Rahul (311).
Most sixes by Indian batter in T20s
- Rohit Sharma – 525
- Virat Kohli – 416
- MS Dhoni – 338
- Suresh Raina – 325
- Suryakumar Yadav – 322
- KL Rahul – 311
- Sanju Samson – 302
Samson, who made his T20I debut for India on July 19, 2015, against Zimbabwe in Harare, has only played 28 T20Is to date, in which he has 444 runs to his name.
He was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2024 title in the West Indies and the USA last month but didn’t get a chance to play any matches.
In the IPL, he has been an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals and is the all-time leading run scorer for the franchise. In 140 IPL matches played so far for them, the Kerala-based cricketer, who has won the cash-rich league title with KKR, has scored 3742 runs. He was appointed as RR’s captain in 2021 and led them to the final in the 2022 season. He is the most successful captain in the franchise’s history, with 31 wins in 61 matches played so far.