Former India player Mohammed Kaif said that Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson might open the innings for the franchise alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the IPL 2025. He commented after Samson scored a hundred against South Africa in the first T20I in Durban on November 8.
Kaif lauded the batter and said that he showed impressive hitting ability on his back foot in testing South African conditions. Kaif further added that RR doesn’t need Jos Buttler for the next season, as Samson can replace him.
“His stars are shinning and he recently completed back-to-back centuries in T20Is. He was magnificent against South Africa. Samson showed the way in the testing conditions in Durban. I think he might open with Jaiswal for Rajasthan Royals. They might do the same job that Travis Head and Yashasvi Jaiswal do for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I hope that Rajasthan don’t end up spending a lot of money of getting back Buttler because Samson and Jaiswal have in them to open the batting together,” Mohammad Kaif said.
Why Sanju Samson should open for Rajasthan Royals and the importance of backfoot play in South Africa. #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/oP1qDSFtlq
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 9, 2024
Samson became the first Indian batter and the fourth worldwide to smash back-to-back centuries in T20Is. His ton against the Proteas came off 47 balls. Previous to the ongoing series, he amassed a century in the third and final game against Bangladesh in Hyderabad.
11 Indian batters have scored hundreds in the shortest format, with only four of them managing to do it more than once. Samson joined Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul on the list. The Kerala-based batter hit 10 maximums and 7 boundaries, which set the tone for India’s win in the series opener.
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