India A vs New Zealand A: Crowd goes berserk in Chennai as Sanju Samson enters to bat

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson received the loudest cheers from the crowd at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai as he walked out to bat during the first unofficial ODI match between India A and New Zealand A. Samson is the captain of the India A side in the ongoing three-match unofficial ODI series against New Zealand A. On Thursday, the crowd at the Chepauk Stadium went berserk as they erupted in loud cheer to welcome Samson to the crease. 

WATCH | Chepauk Stadium erupts as Sanju Samson enters to bat

The incident occurred in the 21st over of the second innings after Rahul Tripathi was dismissed by Logan van Beek for 31 off 40 balls. As Samson walked out to join Rajat Patidar in the middle, the crowd at the Chepauk Stadium started making loud noises to show their support for the Rajasthan Royals captain. Also, note that spectators were not officially permitted to enter the stadium but some people still found a way to watch the game live from the stands. 

A video of the incident is going viral on the micro-blogging platform Twitter. The video shows Samson walking towards the pitch to bat with loud cheers from the crowd. Samson acknowledged the support from the crowd by hitting a six off the third delivery he faced in the match. Samson scored an unbeaten 29 off 32 balls to help India finish the chase with 109 balls remaining. 

India A vs New Zealand A

After being sent to bat first, New Zealand A suffered a collapse as they got bowled out for just 167 runs. Apart from Michael Rippon and Joe Walker, none of the other batters were able to put on a significant score for New Zealand A. While Rippon scored 61 off 104 balls, Walker was run out for 36 off 49 balls. Kiwi skipper Robert O'Donnell scored 22 off 39 balls before being dismissed by Shardul Thakur, who picked up a four-wicket haul in the game. 

Kuldeep Sen registered a three-wicket haul, while Kuldeep Yadav picked one wicket to his name. India batters then finished the run chase in just 31.5 overs courtesy of a solid performance from the top order. While Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 41 off 54 balls, Tripathi scored 31 off 40 balls. Patidar remained unbeaten at a score of 45 off 41 balls to help India win the game by 7 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the series. 

Image: Twitter