England set a strong tone in the powerplay, with Ben Duckett firing off a blistering 26-ball half-century to help them reach 52/1, alongside captain Jos Buttler, who was holding steady.
On a Rajkot pitch offering little help to either spin or pace, a total beyond 200 seemed likely as the partnership blossomed to 76 off just 45 balls. However, a moment of brilliance from Sanju Samson, followed by the conviction of a leader, turned the game on its head, swinging momentum back in favor of the hosts.
In the ninth over, Varun Chakravarthy delivered a slightly shorter seam-up ball on the fourth stump to Buttler, who had managed just 24 off 21 balls up until that point. Eager to break free, Buttler attempted a reverse sweep but was deceived by the pace of the delivery, which zipped past him.
Samson, however, was alert behind the stumps, managing to snaffle the ball in his gloves just in time after a slight deflection off Buttler’s gloves. He immediately appealed for a catch, but the umpire shook his head, with little reaction from the fielders—aside from the bowler’s mild interest.
It was a moment that seemed to pass quietly, but Samson, drawing on his experience as a T20 captain with Kerala and Rajasthan Royals, calmly convinced Buttler to review. The English captain, with a sheepish smile, reluctantly raised his hand just as the timer neared its end.
The review showed a significant deflection off Buttler’s gloves, making Samson’s take all the more remarkable when slowed down.
— jithesh (@jithesh1569353) January 28, 2025
As the saying goes, one wicket leads to another. Just six balls later, Duckett fell, and social media quickly credited Samson for triggering the twin wickets.