On Friday, November 8, Sanju Samson became the joint-seventh fastest Indian to reach 7000 runs in T20Is. He achieved this milestone in his 269th innings during the opening T20I against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban.
Notably, Samson reached the landmark quicker than the legendary MS Dhoni, who is gearing up for his 17th season in the IPL.
Sanju Samson Surpasses MS Dhoni
Robin Uthappa also reached 7000 T20 runs in his 269th innings, the same as Sanju Samson. KL Rahul currently holds the record for the fastest to the milestone, surpassing Virat Kohli’s previous record earlier this year while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL.
The overall record is held by Babar Azam, who achieved the feat in just 187 innings, followed by Chris Gayle (192 innings) and Rahul.
KL Rahul – 197 innings
Virat Kohli – 212 innings
Shikhar Dhawan – 246 innings
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Suryakumar Yadav – 249 innings
Suresh Raina – 251 innings
Rohit Sharma – 258 innings
Sanju Samson – 269 innings
Robin Uthappa – 269 innings
MS Dhoni – 305 innings
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Dinesh Karthik – 336 innings
In a recent conversation, the swashbuckling keeper-batter revealed that despite not having played a single match in the T20 World Cup, he was set to feature in the crucial summit clash against South Africa this summer.
“I had a chance to play the final. I was told to stay ready. I was. However, they decided before the toss that we would go with the same team. I was like, no worries. I was in that type of mood,” Samson conceded in a video on Vimal Kumar’s YouTube channel.
Coming to this match, Samson entered the series in red-hot form, having scored a brilliant century against Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He continued his fine run, taking the South African bowlers to the cleaners.
Asked to bat first, India lost opening partner Abhishek Sharma early. However, Samson then partnered with captain Suryakumar Yadav to put on a solid 66-run stand for the second wicket. Suryakumar made a useful 21 off 17 balls before Patrick Kruger dismissed him.
Samson reached his half-century off just 27 balls, and from there, he never looked back. He kept the South African bowlers under constant pressure, playing aggressive cricket and ensuring India remained in control.
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