[Watch] Sanju Samson enjoys table tennis with friend after Zimbabwe series
Indian keeper-batter Sanju Samson was seen enjoying playing table tennis with a friend. The Rajasthan Royals captain (RR) recently participated in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which the Men in Blue won 4-1.
Sanju was also in the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad. However, he didn't get to play a single match and watched all the proceedings from the sidelines.
Initially, he was announced in the squad for the T20Is against Zimbabwe. However, his arrival, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube, was delayed for two matches as they had to take part in the victory parade and felicitation ceremony.
In the remaining three games, Sanju showed his class. While he remained unbeaten on 12 off 7 balls in the 3rd T20I, he smashed a brilliant half-century in the final match of the series.
At one point, the Men in Blue were 40/3 after five overs. Sanju then played a brilliant hand of 58 runs off 45 balls, smashing one boundary and four sixes as he helped India put a decent total of 167 on the board. In response, Mukesh Kumar led the way with four wickets, as the Men in Blue won the match by 42 runs.
Following the Zimbabwe series, Sanju has been spending time with his family and friends after being on the road for the past few months. He recently shared a picture with his wife and is now seen enjoying his time off from the field with his friend by playing table tennis.
Here’s the video:
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if Sanju gets picked for the three-match T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting July 27.
Veteran spinner Amit Mishra feels Sanju Samson may miss the 2026 T20 World Cup
During a recent interview with Shubhankar Mishra for his YouTube series "Unplugged," Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra hinted that the keeper-batter would not be able to make it to the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.
Mishra highlighted the concept of youth's importance in the T20I format that Virat Kohli introduced when he was the captain of the Men in Blue. Sanju will be 31 years old at the next World Cup. Regarding the age of Sanju, Amit stated:
"I don't think so. He is old now. There is such a heavy influx of youngsters in the team this concept was introduced by Virat Kohli – that in T20Is, young players perform more, India need them more. He himself is 35."
Sanju Samson has played in 28 T20Is for India, scoring 444 runs, with two half-centuries to his name.