WATCH: Sanju Samson - True Hero Of India's Win In 1st ODI Against West Indies

Sanju Samson scored just 12 runs with the bat but won the match for team India with his wicketkeeping in the first ODI against West Indies at Trinidad.

Cricket Image for WATCH: Sanju Samson - True Hero Of India's Win In 1st ODI Against West Indies (Image Source: Google)

By Rishabh Gautam
Jul 23, 2022 • 12:13 PM

WI vs IND - In the first ODI against West Indies in Trinidad, India posted a massive target of 309 in front of the hosts. However, the Caribbean team didn't back out as they kept chasing the total till the last ball of the 50th over. However, what went down in the last over certainly earned Sanju Samson major appreciation, while one may feel bad for the West Indian team.

By Rishabh Gautam
July 23, 2022 • 12:13 PM

West Indies required 15 overs to win the match in the last over. Mohammad Siraj was handed the responsibility to bowl the last over. However, Siraj seemed bothered at a time as Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein were batting thunderously. All thanks to Sanju Samson behind the stumps, who not only saved the match with his keeping but also overshadowed his failure with the bat.

One may wonder how Sanju Samson won the match. Let's dive into this incident - when 15 runs were required off the last over, Akeal Hosein smacked a four on the third ball of the over. With this, West Indies scored 7 runs off the first 4 balls, requiring another 8 runs to win off the last 2 balls. On the next delivery, Siraj saw Shepherd moving towards his leg side and altered his line consequently down the leg side. However, Shepherd moved away and it looked like a certain wide + boundary.

@IamSanjuSamson मेन ऑफ दा मैच....
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Also Read: Scorecard

Had this been four wides, the equation would have come down to 3 runs off 2 balls for West Indies. However, Sanju Samson displayed great athleticism and swiftness behind the stumps and not only saved 4 runs with his dive but kept India alive in the thriller ODI. India went on to win the match by just 3 runs and this save by Sanju Samson in the last over proved to be the decider.