Comparing Sanju Samson’s ODI Numbers With Virat Kohli After First 12 ODIs – The dilemma regarding Sanju Samson continues to enthrall the fans, the team management, and the selectors.
That the 28-year-old Batter Keeper, who is one of the most talented batters in India and who was a prodigy once touted for immense success at the international level, hasn’t been able to crack international cricket and hasn’t been able to cement his place in either India’s T20I or ODI side is frustrating for his fans who believe that his career so far hasn’t done justice to his talents and abilities.
His fans have often also blamed the selectors and the twin team managements – earlier that of Ravi Shastri and Kohli, and now that of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid – for doing sort of “injustice” with the Kerala superstar and not giving him a consistent run in the national side.
Samson has remained a fringe player over the past few years and has gotten opportunities only when either the first-choice batters are injured or rested. This has also meant that Samson hasn’t really faced tougher oppositions like Australia and England, and has faced the likes of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Ireland, and South Africa.
Sanju Samson vs Virat Kohli: numbers paint shocking picture
One fan recently made a shocking revelation by comparing the ODI stats of Sanju Samson in his first 12 ODIs innings to how Virat Kohli fared in his first 12 ODI innings back in 2008 and 2009.
And to everyone’s attention, Sanju Samson has much better numbers in his 12 ODI innings in his career so far than what Virat Kohli had in his first 12 ODI innings.
In Samson’s ODI career so far, he’s scored 390 runs at an impressive average of 55 at a strike rate of 104 with 3 half-centuries to his name, with a best of 86* against South Africa, which was a good innings under the pressure of chasing.
Talking about Kohli, in Kohli’s first 12 ODI innings, Kohli had scored 377 runs at an average of 37, strike rate of 73 with 3 fifties to his name. In 2008 and 2009, however, Kohli had faced the prime Sri Lanka which boasted their best team of this century, and Sri Lanka were also the Asia Cup winners in 2008/09. And then in his 13th ODI innings, Virat Kohli slammed his maiden ODI ton.
Hello @BCCI,#SanjuSamson has better stats than #ViratKohli after 12 ODI innings. It's up to you make him or break him. #Virat #Kohli
Runs: 377
Avg: 37.70
S/R: 73.92
50s: 3#Sanju #Samson
Runs: 390
Avg: 55.71
S/R: 104
50s: 3@imAagarkar #RahulDravid @ImRo45 #WIvIND #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/6yPzEwzF4m— Alone Musk🧢 (@AloneMusk___) August 11, 2023
It is also not to forget that then Virat Kohli was of age 20, while Samson currently is 28 years old. This means that Kohli was very much new to playing against such high-quality international bowlers, while Samson already has vast experience of playing international quality bowlers in the IPL.
Nonetheless, Sanju Samson’s fans will want him to be seen picked in the Asia Cup 2023 and also the World Cup 2023. But he will need to deliver a few more good performances.
