Credit: BCCI
India wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson has undergone a finger surgery successfully. The stumper-batter picked up the injury during the fifth T20I played between India and England at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Samson is expected to recover from the injury in a month which means the 30-year-old has enough time to gain complete fitness and be available for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2025.
During the T20I game against England in Mumbai, Samson got hit by Jofra Archer’s delivery early in the contest. The Kerala-born player left the field after scoring 16 off seven. He was later subbed out due to the injury and Dhruv Jurel took his place to keep wickets.
The injury also resulted in his unavailability for Kerala against Jammu and Kashmir in the quarter-final game. However, Samson’s absence didn’t affect Kerala as they succeeded in securing the stalemate with Jammu to qualify for the semi-finals.
Samson looked out of colour in the five-match T20I series against the English team. The right-handed batter could score only 51 runs in five innings at a disheartening strike rate of 118.60. Samson will back himself to perform exceptionally for the Royals in the upcoming IPL edition to keep himself relevant as an opener.
Samson will look to do wonders in IPL 2025
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20Is in June 2024, Samson is serving the side as an opener in the shortest form of the sport. As an opener, he looked effective with his centuries against Bangladesh and South Africa. However, his sub-par performance in the England series grabbed his critics’ attention.
After Jos Buttler’s departure from RR, Samson might be seen opening with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the 2008 champion side in the upcoming IPL edition. The RR captain ended up as the fifth-leading run-getter for the Royals in the 2024 IPL, notching up 531 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate 153.46.
