'It's important for me to behave...' - Sanju Samson opens up on his brotherhood with Indian players

Indian Cricket Team's star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson reflected on his pivotal role in the team’s 42-run victory against Zimbabwe in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday, July 14, in Harare.

Samson emphasized the importance of his partnership with Riyan Parag after India lost three early wickets. The vice-captain for the T20I series further noted that building partnerships was crucial in helping the Indian cricket team set a competitive total on the board against Zimbabwe after a shaky start in the final game.

Sanju Samson reflects on key partnership with Riyan Parag in India's victory in the 5th T20I

He said their fourth wicket partnership was instrumental in stabilizing the innings and setting a competitive total of 167/6 on the board against Zimbabwe. Samson praised the Indian bowlers for their exceptional performance, which ultimately led to India's victory, as they restricted the Zimbabwe team to 125 to win the game by 42 runs to finish the tour on a winning note.

The 2024 T20 World Cup winner also mentioned that a supportive environment encourages players to open up and perform at their best, and a 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe was the result of their camaraderie and teamwork.

Sanju Samson said in a video posted by the BCCI on X: “We had three wickets down, so it was very important for me to build a partnership with Riyan, which we did. And then I think we actually got into a reasonable total to fight the game, and our bowlers bowled really well.”

Sanju Samson speaks on building relationships in Indian Cricket Team

Samson further noted, “Honestly, I think you can't teach them much. I think you can definitely be around them and stick with them, and whenever you make a relationship, that's when people open up to you. So, it's very important for me to behave in a manner where they come and ask me whenever they want to feel like it. So, it's always like a brother kind of a relationship.”

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That's a Wrap from Zimbabwe! 👍 #TeamIndia | #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/ZjrUw2Hns2

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 15, 2024

Zimbabwe vs India 5th T20I Highlights

Meanwhile, India won the T20I series against Zimbabwe with a convincing 42-run victory in the fifth and final match in Harare. Zimbabwe started the series with a surprising win in the first T20I, but then Team India dominated, winning four matches in a row to lift the trophy.

Speaking about the final game, Yashasvi Jaiswal made a record-breaking start for India, scoring 13 runs off just 1 ball before departing early, followed by quick dismissals of Shubman Gill (13) and Abhishek Sharma (14), leaving India struggling at 40/3 after 5 overs.

However, Sanju Samson (58) and Riyan Parag (22) stabilized the innings with a crucial 65-run partnership for the fourth wicket in the final game against Zimbabwe. In the final overs, India made 30 runs in 12 balls, reaching a competitive total of 167/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Chasing 168 runs to win, Zimbabwe started poorly, losing their first wicket in the third ball of the innings to Mukesh Kumar, whose early breakthroughs continued as the hosts found themselves at 15/2 in the 3rd over.

Zimbabwe kept losing wickets at regular intervals. At 85/4 in the 13th over, Zimbabwe's hopes were further dashed with the dismissal of Dion Myers (34). They managed to add only 40 runs more while losing six wickets, including the crucial run-out of Sikandar Raza due to a mix-up.

Faraz Akram tried to revive the innings with a quickfire 27 off 13 balls, but Zimbabwe eventually folded for 125 runs, losing both the match and the T20I series to India. Mukesh Kumar recorded the stunning figures of 4/22 in 3.3 overs.