Gautam Gambhir praised Sanju Samson for his red-hot form in T20Is.
Gautam Gambhir refused to take credit for Sanju Samson’s brilliant form and instead stated that it was his ability after the Kerala batter became the first Indian to hit back-to-back centuries in T20Is.
Samson achieved this feat after his whirlwind 107 against South Africa in the first T20I of the four-match series. The match was played in Durban and saw Samson hammering 107 in 50 balls with 10 sixes and 7 fours.
Before this, Samson had scored 111 in 47 balls in the last T20I he had played, against Bangladesh. He had hit 11 fours and 8 sixes in that innings, helping India post 297/6 in 20 overs.
Following his first T20I century, Samson gave appreciation to India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for his accomplishment, stating that they helped him prepare for the matches by providing him with clarity regarding the batting position.
Although Samson has given Gambhir credit for his outstanding achievements, the Indian head coach denies any involvement in Samson's recent outstanding batting displays. Gambhir claims that Samson is capable and that he simply supports him by giving him the appropriate number to bat.
“Not at all; I think it’s nothing to do with me. I think it’s his ability. It was all about giving him the right number and backing him. I think ultimately it’s his hard work. What he is doing for Indian cricket is just the start; it’s not the end. Hopefully, he can continue taking this form forward," Gambhir said about Samson during India’s pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Monday.
Gambhir is also happy to see a lot of young cricketers coming up and doing well, which he thinks is healthy and good for Indian cricket.
“For me, I think the good sign is that some of the young players are coming through, which is always healthy and good for Indian cricket,” he stated.
Apart from Samson, India also saw the debuts of 21-year-old Nitish Reddy and 22-year-old Mayank Yadav and they impressed one and all with their performances.
(PTI inputs)