IPL 2024: 'Not Only T20 World Cup Spot, Should Be Groomed As Captain After Rohit' - Harbhajan on Sanju Samson

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Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has said Sanju Samson should not only be part of the Indian T20 World Cup squad, but also be groomed as India's next captain in the shortest format after Rohit Sharma after the Rajasthan Royals skipper led his team to 7th win in IPL 2024.

Samson scored an unbeaten 38-run knock from 28 balls at a strike rate of 135.71 with 2 fours and 2 sixes, sharing an undefeated 109-run stand with centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal (104 off 60) as RR sealed a 9-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday (April 22).

While Jaiswal returned to form, Samson scored his fourth 30 plus score including three fifties with a best of 82 in his 8 innings so far this season, and has led the Royals well in pressure situations.

Harbhajan took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and hailed Jaiswal's saying that the youngster is proof that "class is permanent, form is temporary" before adding there should be no debate regarding who should be India's wicketkeeper at the T20 World Cup.

"Yashasvi Jaiswal's knock is a proof of class is permanent, form is temporary @ybj_19. And there shouldn't be any debate about Keepar batsman. @IamSanjuSamson should walk in to the Indian team for T20 worldcup and also groomed as a next T20 captain for india after Rohit," Harbhajan wrote on X.

Finch hails selfless and calm leader Samson

Former Australian T20 World Cup-winning skipper Aaron Finch was also full of praise for Samson's selfless play during the ongoing season of IPL and also lauded his captaincy.

"Yeah it certainly has, he's been playing really mature innings and that's what is required for the team," Finch said on Star Sports Cricket Live on Samson's performance so far this season.

"I think in times of T20 cricket, the ego of the batsman can get in the way of what the team needs sometimes but he's been playing each and every situation exactly how it's needed to be done. I think he's leading the side unbelievably well, you can see how calm the Rajasthan Royals are when they're under pressure.

"And I think that the only game they lost was when they had that meltdown against GT right at the back end of the game, so they've been so clinical right throughout this IPL and a lot of credit has to go to Sanju for that."