Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer heaped praise on Sanju Samson after Chennai Super Kings claimed a 23-run win against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday. Samson, who had struggled to get going in the first three matches of the tournament, scored a stunning knock of 115 runs off just 56 balls.

The flamboyant batter scored 15 fours and four sixes and played an instrumental role in helping CSK post 212 runs on the board. Jaffer praised Samson for his maturity and said one expects him to get a hundred if he gets settled at the crease.

Wasim Jaffer said on his ESPN Cricinfo, “He has matured a lot. Now, I think when Sanju plays, you expect him to get a hundred. Even though he missed a couple of hundreds in the T20 World Cup, now when he gets going, he paces his innings so well. In the last 15-20 innings in international cricket, I think he has got three or four hundreds, or somewhere close to that, which is amazing.”

On the other hand, former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said the monkey is off Samson’s back after he scored a brilliant century to get back into form.

“The monkey’s off his back now. It’s never easy walking into a new franchise, particularly with the expectations that Sanju has come with. It just sets up your middle order so much better, when you have got the ability to inject Shivam Dube when you want. Mhatre, he comes in and plays aggressively because they have got off to a decent start. He’s batting with a guy who looks in total control of his game.”

Samson had scored 321 runs in five matches of the the T20 World Cup and had played three match-winning knocks for India in the knockout games.

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Tuesday.