Sanju Samson roars after hitting match-sealing six vs KL Rahul's LSG, fans say RR captain wants T20 World Cup spot

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Sanju Samson showed class all over again and scored unbeaten 71 runs off 33 balls to help his team Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by seven wickets at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 27.

Sanju Samson finished off the match with a six on the final ball of the 19th over, and launched an uncharacteristic celebration. As soon as he deposited the ball over the fine leg boundary, he stretched his arms and roared in jubilation.

The win was Rajasthan's eighth in nine matches, and fourth on the trot after losing their first and only game against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 10. RR now have a six point lead at the top.

Fans and experts quickly decoded the wild road from Sanju Samson, and said that the 29-year-old had his eyes set on a T20 World Cup berth. Notably, the BCCI is gearing up to announce the India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the next few days.

With Rishabh Pant almost certain of a spot, a toss up between KL Rahul and Sanju Samson for the second wicketkeeper-batter slot is expected. Interestingly, Samson hit the winning six with KL Rahul, the LSG captain, watching from behind the stumps.

KL Rahul himself top-scored for Lucknow with 76 off 48. But it felt like Samson was on a mission to outshine his rival, and make a big statement in front of the selectors.

Sanju Samson made his India debut back in 2015 but hasn't featured in the World Cup yet. Last year, he was snubbed from India's Asia Cup and ODI World Cup squads as the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul pipped him.

However, this time around, the Kerala batter has shown great consistency and temperament in the IPL 2024. The innings on Saturday made him the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. He has now scored 385 runs in nine matches at an average of 77 and a strike rate of 161.08.