Samson Channels His Inner 'Ranga Anna', Chahal Becomes Bus Conductor Ahead of India vs Australia Clash

Sanju Samson channelled his inner 'Ranga Anna' while Yuzvendra Chahal became the bus conductor after India reached St. Lucia to take on Australia in their final Super Eight clash of the T20 World Cup 2024 on June 24.

St. Lucia: After the Indian cricket team reached St. Lucia, India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson brought out his inner 'Ranga Anna' avatar ahead of the much anticipated Super 8 clash against Australia on Monday. The character Ranga Anna is from the recently released Malayalam movie Aavesham and is played by actor Fahadh Faasil.

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on their X handle, featuring Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Rahul Dravid and others coming out of their flight to St Lucia. The video's total length is one minute and three seconds and around the 55th-second mark, Samson was seen talking in Malayalam and saying the dialogue.

'Eda mone' (Hey brother) dialogue of the character 'Ranga Anna' went viral on the internet when the movie hit the cinemas. The dubbed version of the movie also received a great response in the other states. "Eda mone. Happy allae. (Hey brother. You're happy right.)" said Samson in the video.

Meanwhile, Chahal became the conductor of the team bus when they were heading towards the ground from the airport. The right-arm leg spinner can be seen asking "ground, ground."

The Rohit Sharma-led side has one foot in the semis of the T20 World Cup 2024 with a couple of wins in the Super Eight matches.

Samson and Chahal both are yet to play in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but the former had opened the innings for India in their only warm-up game against Bangladesh before the commencement of the tournament while Chahal didn't get to bowl.

Samson was picked in the squad as the second designated wicketkeeper, after his exceptional performances in the Indian Premier League 2024, played just before the competition. He scored 531 runs in 15 matches as Rajasthan Royals went to the playoffs of the IPL 2024 season.

Chahal, who was picked in the 2022 T20 World Cup and didn't get a chance to play, is another player to not play a game in the ongoing edition of the marquee tournament. Chahal sealed his place in the squad based on his exceptional form in the IPL this year. He picked 18 wickets from 15 matches in the cash-rich league.

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