New Delhi: Last time Sanju Samson Here was Arun Jaitley at the stadium, his international career almost on the brink. Included in the Indian XI only because Abhishek Sharma fell ill ahead of the T20 World Cup match against Namibia in February, Samson walked out after scoring 22 off eight balls.On Tuesday, he will be back here as the toast of the nation. A copy of Samson Chennai Super Kings Jerseys will make up the majority of the inventory with street vendors. Samson has been at a crossroads most of his career. But rarely has its stock been so high. His turnaround at the back end of the T20 World Cup was the answer to years of doubts about his consistency. Now that he has established himself as the biggest superstar in the CSK XI, it is time for him to build on his IPL form to earn a place in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup squad.Both DC and CSK are in a logjam in the middle of the table. A team that loses on Tuesday will be on the brink of relegation.Despite scoring two centuries, Samson has 315 runs in nine matches. As much as he has been a face-saving force for CSK, his lackluster form will disappoint the franchise. But then, that has been the norm with Samson’s IPL season.
If he is to convince the national selectors to consider him for the second wicket-keeper role, he may have to repeat his T20 World Cup performance for CSK.It won’t be easy though. Rain in the air has cooled the capital. Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled out DC for 75 in the final match at the venue. And at the top of the mark will be the lethal Mitchell Starc looking to expose Samson’s technique against high-quality pace, movement and bounce. It’s up to Samson to clear the doubt. The lead batsman will test his technique and temperament to play on Tuesday.
