On Samson's future after heroic Ton Manjrekar gave a decisive statement
Sanju Samson finally got an international century for himself with a masterful 108 off 114 balls against South Africa in India's second ODI at Paarl's Boland Park. Samson pretty much anchored the innings of team India, coming in during the fifth over at No. 3 and falling only in the 46th, and the visitors won the match by 78 runs.
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar feels that while Samson may not be too high on the pecking order for the 2024 T20 World Cup, this century makes him a contender for a place in India's first-choice ODI squad in the future.
Manjrekar said, “Sanju Samson, at this age, after so many years at the first-class level, has come of age at the international level. I know this was an ODI series; people will forget the result of the series. But the way he batted, he came in the fourth over and got to his 100 in the 44th over. That is something people wanted to see from Sanju Samson, and they saw it.”
He further said, “So, what that hundred, that innings, and the way he played have done is that the selectors and the team management will not forget it. And that is the reason Sanju Samson was in the squad against expectations. Whenever there is a need to pick up a 50-over side, Sanju Samson will be very close to the playing 11.”