‘Love the way he plays’ – AB De Villiers praises Sanju Samson for his century against South Africa

Sanju Samson scored a terrific century for India during the first T20I game on Friday. The 29-year-old scored a match-winning 107 from 50 balls with 7 fours and 10 sixes. This knock helped India win the game by 61 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of the second game on Sunday. 

Former South African star batter AB De Villiers praised Samson for his efforts with the bat on his YouTube Channel. The 40-year-old said, “Sanju Samson, who scored a massive 100. Back-to-back T20 hundreds, absolutely incredible. Am incredibly proud of the guy, I say proud because I do have a personal connection with him. We have been in touch for a number of years now. I have always been a big fan of Sanju Samson, I just love the way he plays, and I always want him to do well.”

29-year-old Sanju Samson scored 111 runs during the previous T20I game against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. The century on Friday also made Samson the only Indian batter to score two successive centuries in the T20I format. 

AB De Villiers praises Sanju Samson for his century

Former South African batting great AB De Villiers also recounted an innings played by Sanju Samson in the IPL. The 40-year-old recounted on his YouTube channel, “He scored a 100 once at the Chinnaswamy Stadium against RCB, I was on the park and I realised that day, that this guy is something special and he is proving me right.”

De Villiers also said, “For those of you who have followed Sanju Samson, I haven't often seen him bat at a strike rate of more than 200, he is generally more conservative, he is usually between 140-160 and both these hundreds he has scored back-to-back have been very very fast and especially this last hundred.”

During his live chat, De Villiers said he felt that Samson’s resurgence wasn’t due to the coaching. “Something has triggered there, something has clicked in his game which is absolutely great to watch. The thing about him is that he makes it effortless out there. I don't see much experimentation going out there. Not a lot of creativity in terms of funny shots, doesn't seem that he wants to entertain the crowd and please someone, he just sticks in his little bubble and he just is easy on the eye," he added.

Praising the Indian star further, De Villiers said, “Sanju has upped the gear in his game. I hope the selectors are watching this for all the formats. I want to see this guy play all the formats. I think he is someone who is really really special, someone who can play all the formats, in all conditions around the world. Something has clicked in the Sanju Samson world, whether it's the coaching staff, I doubt it.”

“No disrespect to VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel, whoever is a part of the coaching group. I just feel that this guy has reached the maturity point, he has realised something. It is exciting to all of us Samson fans. I think there is another gear, a sixth gear, I want to see it unfold,” concluded De Villiers.