The young finisher has provided glimpses of his talent in his short IPL career.
Sunrisers Hyderabad middle order batter Abdul Samad smashed a scintillating century in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Madhya Pradesh. Samad came in to bat when his side Jammu & Kashmir were in trouble at 61/5. But his aggressive intent enabled his side to get out of trouble and gain a first-innings lead.
Madhya Pradesh’s bowling lineup has quality bowlers like Avesh Khan, Saransh Jain, Anubhav Agarwal, Kulwant Khejroliya, and Kumar Kartikeya. Out of these, Avesh Khan is an international bowler while Saransh Jain recently played for India A. Left-arm quick Kulwant Khejroliya is in good form as he picked up 4 wickets in 4 balls recently. Kartikeya and Anubhav are seasoned campaigners in first-class cricket over the years.
To score a hundred against such a top bowling lineup, speaks volumes of the talent Samad possesses. The right-hander bats lower down the order and is known for his big-hitting capabilities. But his inconsistency has often left him down over the years. Against MP, he was at his counter-attacking best and smashed 103 off just 74 balls, which included 6 fours and 6 sixes.
Abdul Samad is playing proper bazball vs MP, scores a fiery 71-ball 100. J&K was 61-6 when he came to bat; his counter-attack got them the first-innings lead. Those who question Samad’s ability should watch this knock once. Some unbelievable shots against top bowlers #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/hqGqVkqZDB
— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) February 17, 2024
Samad brought up his century from just 71 balls. While he scored 103, the next best score in the J&K lineup was 38. Samad’s knock helped Jammu & Kashmir reach a score of 242 and take a handy 42-run lead against Madhya Pradesh.
Abdul Samad has played quite a few impactful innings in this Ranji Trophy season. Against Odisha, he scored a crucial 66* from 83 balls in the fourth innings to take his side home in a close encounter by 2 wickets.
Sunrisers Hyderabad retained Abdul Samad for IPL 2024, thus showing confidence in the youngster. He has scored 395 runs in 34 matches in the IPL at a strike rate of 137.63. His average of 19.75 is something that he would look to improve.
If he can be consistent with the bat, this can be his breakthrough season. Over the years, SRH have struggled to find a dependable finisher who can provide them the late flourish. Samad will be expected to play a few impactful innings this innings as he can be dangerous with the bat in the slog overs.
