Sanju Samson speaks 'Khub Bhalo' Bangla to Riyan Parag, leaves Sunil Gavaskar in splits

Sanju Samson, from down south in Kerala, showcased his Bengali skills during India's match against Bangladesh in the 2nd T20I on Wednesday (October 9).

During Riyan Parag's over, Sanju was heard encouraging the Indian player in Bengali, which was caught in the stump mic.

Sanju Samson goes 'Khub Bhalo' to Riyan Parag

In the 11th over of the match, Riyan Parag was sent to bowl by captain Suryakumar Yadav. After having a wayward start and a strange No Ball, Parag needed some encouragement around him, and Sanju provided it.

After the fifth ball, which Mahmudullah pulled to irk out a single, Sanju was heard saying 'Khub Bhalo', which translates to Very Good in Bengali. "Khub Bhalo, Khub Bhalo," Sanju was heard saying to Riyan Parag.

Sanju's antics were spotted by commentator Sunil Gavaskar, who was left in splits with the India wicketkeeper's grip on languages.

"Murali Kartik was saying earlier on that Sanju Samson can speak Tamil as well quite nicely, now you can see he can speak Bangla too," Gavaskar said.

And much to the delight of the Indian team, Parag got the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the very next ball. An attempted inside-out shot found substitute fielder Ravi Bishnoi at Long Off.

Why did Sanju Samson speak to Riyan Parag in Bengali?

Sanju Samson solved two purposes with his Bengali phrase. Although Riyan Parag hails from Assam, the similarity between Assamese and Bengali language means Parag could understand his words. On the other hand, the Bangladeshi batters could also understand Sanju's words, which was more of a psychological ploy from the Kerala player from behind the stumps.

Samson is also the captain of Riyan Parag in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals. Hence the former must have known Riyan's language from his time at the Royals.

Sanju Samson, although hailing from Kerala, has a fervent love for other languages. He is not just a fluent Tamil speaker but also has a keen interest in Tamil music. Although his vernacular is Malayalam, the Indian player knows a little bit of Bengali as well, which was in full show against Bangladesh.