'He always seems to get overlooked for national honours': Matthew Hayden on star Indian cricketer

In an electrifying IPL encounter between the Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals, the Royals emerged victorious by 7 wickets with a thrilling 6 balls to spare. Sanju Samson's blistering unbeaten 71* off 33 deliveries earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match accolade, steering his team to victory. Notable performances included KL Rahul's impressive 76 runs, Sandeep Sharma's bowling prowess with 2 wickets, and Deepak Hooda's dynamic 50-run contribution. Dhruv Jurel's composed unbeaten 52* further highlighted the Royals' strong batting display. The match, held at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow, provided fans with a gripping contest adorned with standout individual efforts and exciting twists until the final delivery.

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Matthew Hayden believes that Sanju Samson should be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad

The skipper of the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson, had a fantastic performance on April 27 against the Lucknow Super Giants, going undefeated with an astounding 71 runs off just 33 balls. Not only did he lead his team to an incredible victory, but he also attracted the notice of Matthew Hayden, a former Australian cricket player.

Inspired by Samson's outstanding blow, Hayden said he was in favour of Samson being named in the Indian squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. Samson's extraordinary potential was praised by Hayden, who also bemoaned his nearly ten-year absence from the national team. Samson has been playing exceptionally well lately, though, as evidenced by the fact that he is currently the second-highest scorer in the Orange Cap list with 385 runs scored.

Samson's striking strike rate of 161, which places him second among the top five batters and only behind Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine, highlights his hitting skill. Samson is ready to fight for a desired berth in the Indian side, going up against well-established players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the wicketkeeper-batsman position, thanks to his outstanding statistics and steady performances. Speaking on Star Sports, Matthew Hayden said:

“With Sanju, he always seems to get overlooked for national honours. I honestly been saying this for a decade, I don’t know why because he is a serious hitter of the ball and if you put him up top, he does the damage through the phases. Tonight was the perfect captain’s knock and guess what, he did it in the end,”