Samson’s batting transformation: Spin domination & six-hitting spree

A higher backlift has made him one of IPL’S best players of spin, but the tweaks have resulted in susceptibility against extra pace

A straight six off Avesh Khan showed Shubman Gill doesn't have to resort to brute force to force the pace in T20 cricket. It was just an extention of the arms to a delivery, admittedly in the proverbial 'slot', that wouldn't have been out of place in a Test match. The Gujarattitansskipperisalwayseasyon the eye, and always seems to have a bit moretimetoplayhisshots,evenagainst decent pace. Though his opening partnership with Sai Sudharsan didn't go at break-neckspeed,itlaidthefoundation for the chase. Gill played a splendid unbeaten innings against Punjab Kings a few days ago, but it didn't result in the desired result. Titans were setting their stall for the long haul, aware that a disproportionateamountofburdenlayon Gill's shoulders in the absence of David Miller, who could be relied upon to be ice-cool at the business end of a chase. With Hardik Pandya having gone back to Mumbai Indians, Gill has all of a suddenbecomethecentraltotitans'ambitions,bothasabatsmanatthetopofthe order and a young captain learning on the job. Pic: PTI

WITH TWO successive half-centuries under his belt, Sanju Samson is signalling a move to a new batting dimension in the IPL.

As the Rajasthan Royals found themselves in a dicey situation against the Gujarat Titans at home on Wednesday, Samson commanded attention with an unbeaten 68 off 38 balls that lifted his team to 196. Entering in the fifth over, Samson picked his battles wisely against lead spinners Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad before breaking free at the death.

There were two contrasting hundreds in the Rajasthan Royals-royal Challengers Bengaluru game last weekend, but it was a half-century that caught the eye for more than one reason.

Samson's 69 off 42 balls not only played a key role in RR reaching the target of 184 with plenty to spare, but also showed a new side of the captain's batting - his improved prowess against spin. He has been found wanting against tweakers in the past, but in that game, took them down meticulously.

When left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar landed a length ball on the middle-stump line, Samson stood outside leg-stump and effortlessly chipped the ball over extra-cover for four. Anticipating a repeat, Dagar followed up with a quicker delivery that angled in sharply. Samson re-sent the ball to the extracover boundary for a flat six, by charging down the track, making room from a middle-stump guard and lofting the ball over the ring — all in one motion with a high backlift and fluid backswing.

Samson’s new-found strength against spin was born in the confines of the Covid19 lockdown in 2020. It was then that a wiry batter decided to add “muscle mass” to his frame, improving physically to boost his shots. Numbers seem to suggest that it has worked for the Kerala batsman, even though it may have come at the price of somewhat compromising his game against pace.

In the RR-RCB game, Samson began with diffident footwork against the faster bowlers. In his previous outing, the RR No.3 had lost his wicket to extra pace off the surface against Mumbai Indians' Akash Madhwal’s skiddy length, as a tame dab away from the body dragged the ball onto the stumps.

RCB'S left-armer Reece Topley almost replicated the same with his first delivery over the wicket and angled across, as Samson lowered his bat for an inside edge that whizzed past leg-stump. There was not much trouble afterwards, against either pace or spin, though Virat Kohli handed him a reprieve from an impulsive pull.

Numbers suggest that it has worked for Samson, even though it may have come at the price of somewhat compromising his game against pace.

Spin takedown

From 2013 to 2019 in the IPL, Samson aggregated 854 runs in 63 innings against spin at a lowly strike rate of 122, averaging 28.46.

However, in the five seasons since, Samson has drastically improved his returns — 807 runs in 51 innings at a strike rate of 155.49 with a 50.43 average. Only four batsmen have scored more runs against tweakers since 2020, but none of them possess the combination of a 50-plus average and 150plus strike rate. His RR teammate Buttler is the only other batsman to score over 500 runs with a 50-plus average and 150plus strike rate in the period.

To buttress his game further, Samson has smacked over 100 sixes (103) in the IPL since 2020 - the only batter to reach the mark, ahead of Buttler (92).

“With a higher backlift, the backswing gets an even better relay to hit consistently through the line. That is evident in his game, especially against spinners as it gives him extra time to attack them. That swing has got better with this change that he has made over the last few years,” remarks

Bijumon N, Samson’s Thiruvananthapuram.

Bijumon says Samson, a natural strokemaker, decided to improve his power game to keep up with the dynamics of the evolving T20 game. “T20s are not what they used to be. The old 180s are now 200-plus scores. More sixes are being hit. The necessity now is to hit more boundaries and he has walked along that line to make this transition to power-hitting.”

Flip side

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Samson’s technical overhaul hasn't been an unmixed blessing. It may have also stopped him from having a blockbuster season on his profile that could have strengthened his case for a longer India stint.

While there is considerable improvement against spin, Samson’s returns against certain types of pace bowlers have gone down. When Siraj sent in a well-directed bumper in Jaipur, Samson’s hook could not

Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 68 in 38 deliveries went in vain against GT.