Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson was on fire with the bat during their IPL 2021 game against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, his 119-run knock of just 63 balls was not enough to seal the win as Rajasthan fell short by four runs in a last-ball thriller. Punjab-Rajasthan encounters never fail to surprise and it was another nerve-wracking tie on a Monday night.
Batting first, Deepak Hooda certainly made the most of it after being promoted up the order. He came in at four, ahead of Nicholas Pooran, and the move worked wonders as he took the innings to a different level with a blistering 64 off 28 balls including six towering sixes and four boundaries. KL Rahul’s innings, where he scored 91 off 50 balls, almost felt sedate in comparison.
Rahul anchored the innings alongside Chris Gayle and Deepak Hooda to post 222 runs on the board which will be a daunting task for Rajasthan Royals, who also boast some hard-hitters in their line-up. While many thought that the game was over at the halfway stage, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson had something else in the mind.
Sanju Samson’s century goes in vain
Sanju Samson formed considerable partnerships with Jos Buttler, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag to take the run chase deep. Parag played some extraordinary shots while the Rajasthan Royals skipper was out of the world. When Sanju gets going, one cannot take eyes off the ground and it was one such day when everything went out of the park that came out of his bat.
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Samson’s 119-run knock was paved with 12 boundaries and seven outrageous sixes. He became the first cricketer to smash a century on his debut innings as a captain. However, one thing that will pinch Sanju Samson is that he failed to take his side over the rope as he holed out to the fielder in the last ball of the match in an attempt to clear the ground as Rajasthan Royals finished four runs short.
Here is how Twitter reacted to Sanju Samson’s thrilling century against Punjab Kings:
Really happy for @IamSanjuSamson great knock. Top class🔥 #RRvPBKS
— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) April 12, 2021
Finish it off skipper !
— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) April 12, 2021
Sanju Samson take a bow @IamSanjuSamson what a game.. @IPL @StarSportsTamil well done Arshdeep great spell and superb last over under pressure 👌
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) April 12, 2021
Naam hi nahi Badla, Shayad kismat bhi badli. Good win for Punjab Kings. Sanju Samson was absolutely brilliant to hit his 3rd IPL century, but Deepak Hooda was top class. His innings was the difference. #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/O3cYTKCFvq
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 12, 2021
One of the GREAT #IPL innings @IamSanjuSamson !!! What a game of cricket … The IPL is bloody incredible … no other T20 comp has so many close games … #India
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) April 12, 2021
A substantial Sanju Samson innings is an absolute pleasure to watch. First game as captain of @rajasthanroyals and he gets a century 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) April 12, 2021
What a incredible 💯 from @IamSanjuSamson 👌👌 #IPL2021 #RRvPBKS
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) April 12, 2021
Take a bow champ. Playing first IPL match as a captain and scoring 💯 wow unbelievable 👏👏 @IamSanjuSamson @IPL #SanjuSamson #RRvPBKS
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) April 12, 2021
When @IamSanjuSamson scores 25 it is a melody. This century is a symphony. An absolute treat to watch from one of the most gifted players around.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 12, 2021
Remarkable century by Samson chasing a mammoth score and with not much contribution from the other big guns in his side. Captaincy seems to have brought out the best in him
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 12, 2021
Can play! 👏🏼 https://t.co/bQl1vYxHbq
— Sam Billings (@sambillings) April 12, 2021
Samson !!! Beautiful to watch !!take them home boy @IamSanjuSamson super ton ! #IPL2021 #RRvsKXIP
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) April 12, 2021
