Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has defended Sanju Samson amidst criticism over his ability to tackle pace. In the ongoing five-T20I series, England's tearaway pacer Jofra Archer has dismissed Samson thrice already. In the run chase of 172 in third T20I, Samson wanted to clear the 30-yard circle but was caught by the mid-on fielder for a single-digit score. Pietersen feels that it happens at times and backed Samson to do well.
"I just think that on occasions you get stuck and that's life. You've got to take risks at the top of the order. Same as Abhishek Sharma, same as all these batters. They're taking risks at the top of the order. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but more often than not, Samson comes up with the goods," Pietersen said on Star Sports.
"I think mentally he's sound. I really like Sanju Samson as a batter. I actually love him. I was pretty surprised that he hasn't had more of a consistent role over the last few years. Yes, he's got a game here at the top of the order, but listen, these things happen. Things happen so quickly in the shortest form of the game," he added.
Samson recently practiced in the nets on how to tackle the short balls he has been facing in the powerplay overs. Pietersen feels that he does not have a technical flaw and plays the short ball well.
"If he keeps doing it over the next six weeks or he does it over the next couple of months, then I'd probably have a look at it and start to question his technique. But I think that he's a fabulous player. I think he plays the short ball extremely well, and I just think he’s a rock solid player. So from that standpoint, there's no way that I'm going to stand here and critique his play of the short ball," he further added.
Samson's statistics
Samson has registered scores of 26, 5 and 3 in the series so far. In 2024, he scored three Test centuries including two against Bangladesh and one against South Africa. He averages over 26 from 40 T20Is with 844 runs. Apart from three centuries, he has two fifties and his strike rate is 152.07. Under Suryakumar Yadav's leadership he has been given a long run as an opener.