'Chettan' is here, make way: Sanju arrives to regain form in Thiruvananthapuram, Captain Surya clears the way

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India and New Zealand teams has reached Thiruvananthapuram to play the final match of the Twenty20 series. The match will be played at 7 pm on Saturday at the Greenfield (The Sports Hub) Stadium.

Sanju V Samson has played 56 T20Is for India so far but he has not played a single match for India in his hometown of Thiruvananthapuram. Sanju will make up for that deficiency when he steps out at Kariyavattom Greenfield tomorrow. The important thing is that it is the match in Kariyavattom that will determine Sanju's place in the upcoming World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batter and opener could not do much in the first four matches of the series.

Sanju was given a chance in the Twenty20 World Cup and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand by leaving out ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill. However, Sanju has not been able to perform to his potential in the four matches played against the Kiwis so far. After scoring 10 runs in the first match, Sanju managed to score six runs in the second match. In the third match, he was bowled off the first ball he faced before scoring a run. In the first match, he was dismissed by pacer Kyle Jamieson, while Matt Henry took the wicket in the other two matches. In the fourth match held in Visakhapatnam, Sanju Samson scored 24 runs in 15 balls, including three fours and a six, but had to be bowled by spinner Mitchell Santner. He also had to hear criticism from people including Sunil Gavaskar about his dismissal.

To escape from all this, Sanju's bat will have to produce a great innings at Kariyavattom. Sanju last played at Greenfield ground for Kochi Blue Tigers in the Kerala Cricket League last Onam. Sanju was smashing a century and three half-centuries that day, and that is what fans were expecting from him.

The teams arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Visakhapatnam on a special flight at around 5 pm on Thursday. They were given a warm welcome by the KCA office bearers. The Indian team is staying at the Kovalam Leela Raviz Hotel and the New Zealand team at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the city. Fans had gathered outside the airport to catch a glimpse of the players, including Sanju Samson. A picture of Captain Surya making way for Sanju as he came out of the airport has gone viral.

Tickets sold out

The Kariyavattom Stadium will be packed for the match between India and New Zealand. Tickets for the match at the stadium, which has a capacity of 50,000 spectators, were sold out in record time. The tickets were sold out within 24 hours of the sale opening. The Sanju factor is indeed the reason for the rapid ticket sales.