Sanju Samson vs Ruturaj Gaikwad - comparing their stats after 23 T20Is

India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been making headlines over the past few weeks. He was replaced by Shubman Gill as an opener in the T20I side after the 26-year-old was appointed vice-captain ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup.

Most recently, Samson was dropped from the playing XI after two matches in the recently concluded five-match series against Australia, which India won 2-1, with Jitesh Sharma taking his place in the middle order.

Apart from international cricket, Samson has also been in the spotlight in the IPL amid reports of a possible move from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). If that happens, he will likely play under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad.

In this article, we compare the T20I records of Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad after 23 matches.

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Comparing the stats of Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad after 23 T20Is

#1 Most runs

Sanju Samson made his T20I debut for the Men in Blue against Zimbabwe in 2015. Since then, the Kerala batter has featured in 51 matches in the format, scoring 995 runs at an average of 25.51 and a strike rate of 147.40, including three fifties and as many hundreds. Interestingly, during his first 23 T20Is, Samson managed only 334 runs in 20 innings.

In comparison, Ruturaj Gaikwad made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021. Since then, the Maharashtra cricketer has played 23 matches, amassing 633 runs in 20 innings.

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#2 Average and Strike rate

During his first 23 T20Is, Sanju Samson primarily batted in the middle order, recording a modest average of 18.56 with a strike rate of 131.50. In this period, he scored just one half-century, with his best knock of 77 off 42 balls coming against Ireland in 2022 at The Village, Malahide, Dublin, where he struck nine fours and four sixes.

On the other hand, in his brief 23-match T20I career so far, Ruturaj Gaikwad has maintained an impressive average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53. The right-handed batter has registered four fifties and one century, with his highest score of an unbeaten 123 off 57 balls, featuring 13 fours and seven sixes, coming against Australia in 2023 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.

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#3 Runs in a winning cause

Out of Sanju Samson’s first 23 T20Is, Team India emerged victorious on 16 occasions. In these winning matches, Samson scored 266 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.18 and a strike rate of 150.28, including one half-century.

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been part of 15 wins in the 23 T20Is he has played for India. In those victories, the opener has accumulated 434 runs in 13 innings at an average of 43.40 and a strike rate of 137.34, registering four fifties.

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Edited by Dev Sharma