India, Jan. 26 -- When Sanju Samson smashed a 40-ball hundred, the fastest by an Indian in T20Is, in Johannesburg in November 2024, he created history by becoming the first batter to score three centuries in a single calendar year, with the previous two coming in the preceding 30 days. The knock appeared to cement his place in India's T20 World Cup plans and later served as his strongest defence when he became collateral damage in the selectors' elaborate Shubman Gill experiment. It was also the narrative that eventually earned him a recall after months of emotional uncertainty.

By the end of last year, when Samson's World Cup selection came under scrutiny, his strike rate of 158.17 was second only to Abhishek Sharma among Indian batters...