IND vs BAN: Sanju Samson Slams Second Fastest T20I Century by Indian, Smashes 5 Consecutive Sixes in an Over

India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson lit up the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, taking Bangladesh bowlers apart en-route to his maiden T20I century on Saturday (October 12)

Samson's first T20I century was also the second fastest smashed by an Indian player in the shortest format on the international stage, eclipsing the likes of his batting partner Suryakumar Yadav among others.

The Kerala star, who has often been left out of the side despite big contributions, showcased his intent right from the offset, hitting Taskin Ahmed for four successive fours in the second over of the innings.

Samson departed for 111 off 47 balls, but joined the list for fastest centuries by a full-nation player and surpassed Suryakumar to become the second fastest centurion in T20Is among Indians. Only Rohit Sharma has scored a quicker century than Samson.

Fastest T20I century by Indians

35 balls - Rohit Sharma vs Sri Lanka in Indore (2017)
40 balls - Sanju Samson vs Bangladesh in Hyderabad (2024)
45 balls - Suryakumar Yadav vs Sri Lanka in Rajkot (2023)
46 balls - Abhishek Sharma vs Zimbabwe in Harare (2024)
46 balls - KL Rahul vs West Indies in Lauderhill (2016)

As mentioned earlier, the 40-ball century is the fourth quickest from a player representing a full-member nation. Samson joins the likes of Rohit, David Miller and Johnson Charles in the elite list.

Fastest T20I hundreds for players from ICC full member nations (Stats courtesy CricBuzz)

35 balls - David Miller (South Africa) vs Bangladesh in Potchefstroom, 2017
35 balls - Rohit Sharma (India) vs Sri Lanka in Indore, 2017
39 balls - Johnson Charles (West Indies) vs South Africa in Centurion, 2023
40 balls - Sanju Samson (India) vs Bangladesh in Hyderabad, 2024
42 balls - Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan) vs Ireland in Dehradun, 2019
42 balls - Liam Livingstone (England) vs Pakistan in Trent Bridge, 2021

The 29-year-old, who looked to be in an aggressive mood right from get go, later cut loose against spinner Rishad Hossain in the 10th over. He hit the Bangladeshi spinner for five back-to-back sixes.

By hitting those five maximums, Samson also joined the list for most runs scored by Indians in single over in T20 Internationals. 30 runs off the over was the joint second most registered by India in the shortest format.

Most runs in an over for India in T20Is

36 runs - Yuvraj Singh vs Stuart Broad (England) in Durban, 2007
36 runs - Rohit Sharma & Rinku Singh vs Karim Janat (Afghanistan) in Bengaluru, 2024
30 runs - Ruturaj Gaikwad & Tilak Varma vs Glenn Maxwell (Australia) in Guwahati, 2023
30 runs - Sanju Samson vs Rishad Hossain (Bangladesh) in Hyderabad, 2024
29 runs - Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc (Australia) in St. Lucia, 2024

Samson shared a 163-run stand with Suryakumar (75 off 35 balls) as India went past their highest total in T20Is, breaching 250 by the end of the 17th over and looked set to break the record by a full-member team.