By Faham Uddin

Copyright timesnownews

Sanju Samson’s innings turned out to be the game-changer for India against Oman. The Men in Blue were given a massive scare by the Jatinder Singh-led side in the final league game of the Asia Cup, and had Sanju Samson not scored those crucial 56 runs, who knows, India would have suffered an embarrassing loss before the Super 4s. Sanju Samson, who didn’t get a chance to bat in the preceding games, was promoted to three, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a brilliant fifty for the team. This wasn’t Samson’s best innings, and he reached his fifty in 41 balls, his slowest in T20Is, but the conditions were not easy, and Oman bowlers were brilliant with the ball. With wickets falling at the other end, Samson held one end and kept the scoreboard ticking. It was because of his fifty that India managed to post a score of 188-8 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson scripts historyBefore the Asia Cup, there were doubts if Samson would get a chance in the playing XI. He had scored three hunderds in the ten T20I innings before the Asia Cup, but the return of Shubman Gill at the top meant that he had to compromise his opening slot, and it also threatened his place in the XI. Suryakumar Yadav, however, picked him ahead of Jitesh Sharma in the XI. Meanwhile, Samson created history after his brilliant knock against Oman. The innings helped him bag the player of the match (POTM) award, and he became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to win three POTM awards in T20Is. Samson also became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score a fifty in the T20 Asia Cup. India Escape Major UpsetIndia were heavy favourite to win against Oman, but they would have hoped to win it more convincingly. Suryakumar Yadav did not bat against Oman, and it nearly cost India the game. 64 by Aamir Kaleem and 51 by Hammad Mirza got Oman dangerously close, but India stayed calm under pressure and won the game by 21 runs.