Follow UsSanju Samson’s struggle with short ball has been well documented in this five-match T20I series. But the 30-year-old Indian opener thwarted all that, launching a massive six off the first ball against Jofra Archer in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium.
Till that point, Archer had a wood over Samson in the series, having dismissed him thrice, with the Indian opener only averaging three against him. But with the back against the wall, Samson rocked onto his backfoot to nonchalantly lift Archer for a first-ball six, joining Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal in a unique list.
While Rohit got there against the English wrist spinner Adil Rashid in Ahmedabad during the 2021 series, Jaiswal achieved that feat against Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza. The Indian opener didn’t stop there, continuing his onslaught against Archer with another pull shot over square leg for six.
Instances of India openers smashing a six in the first ball of the innings:
Rohit Sharma vs Adil Rashid, IND vs ENG, Ahmedabad, 2021
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Sikandar Raza, IND vs ZIM, Harare, 2024
Sanju Samson vs Jofra Archer, IND vs ENG, Mumbai, 2025*
A ball later, Samson lifted one over the third-man region for a four. But Samson’s orchestral display didn’t last too long after, getting out in a similar manner to Mark Wood’s pacy delivery, finding Archer in the deep, departing for a seven-ball 16.