Often panned for not realising the minefield of talent that he is, Samson became the first Indian batter to hit back-to-back centuries in T20 Internationals as his 50-ball-107 with as many as 10 monstrous sixes took India to 202 for 8 in 20 overs.
This despite India managing a mere 35 runs in the last five overs.
But no praise is enough for Bishnoi (3/28 in 4 overs), who delivered a brilliant spell of 3/28 in 4 overs. In the 11th over, he bowled five consecutive dot balls to Miller, effectively leaving the South African batter struggling to read his googlies. As pressure mounted on the Proteas, Varun expertly capitalized on the situation.
In the 13th over, Bishnoi followed Varun by getting a couple of wickets more as an Indian victory became a mere formality.
On a reasonably good batting track, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan made the early breakthroughs, putting the batting side on the back foot. After their initial damage, the Varun-Bishnoi duo took control. In fact, they bowled with such precision and discipline that they collectively delivered 27 dot balls, effectively tightening the noose around the batsmen and stifling their scoring opportunities. This spell of bowling, following the initial breakthroughs, significantly shifted the momentum in favor of the bowlers.
Sanju: The Real Samson
On a breezy Durban evening with crosswinds blowing across the Kingsmead, Sanju showed Samson-like strength apart from silken grace that one can associate with Rohit Sharma’s halcyon days.
The clarity in his shot selection, combined with his clever use of field placements, highlighted just how far he has come as a batter in recent times. He always seemed to be one step ahead of the South Africans, expertly exploiting gaps and positioning to his advantage. Moreover, what stands out most about Samson is his newfound consistency. In fact, his ability to maintain solid performances has been a key factor in his recent success, especially as he has found his mojo as an opener in the shortest format. This growth as a reliable opener speaks volumes about his development and the maturity he’s brought to his game.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the two regular openers, are currently busy with Test commitments along with Rishabh Pant. However, even when these three are available, they will have to make way for Samson, rather than the other way around.
He added 66 runs in just 5.5 overs with Suryakumar Yadav (21) and another 77 with Tilak Varma (33) in 5.4 overs.
His performance raised visions of a score close to 250; however, pacers Gerald Coetzee (3/37 in 4 overs) and Marco Jansen (1/24 in 4 overs) bowled brilliantly at the death. Not only did they take wickets, but they also bowled a generous number of dot balls, which effectively curbed the damage inflicted by Samson during the first 15 overs.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA
Sanju Samson c Stubbs b Peter 107 (50b, 7×4, 10×6), Abhishek Sharma c Markram b Coetzee 7 (8b, 1×4), Suryakumar Yadav c Simelane b Kruger 21 (17b, 2×4, 1×6), Tilak Varma c Jansen b Maharaj 33 (18b, 3×4, 2×6), Hardik Pandya c Jansen b Coetzee 2 (6b), Rinku Singh c Klaasen b Coetzee 11 (10b, 2×4), Axar Patel c Stubbs b Jansen 7 (7b, 1×4), Arshdeep Singh (not out) 5 (4b, 1×4), Ravi Bishnoi run out 1 (3b); Extras (w-5, nb-3): 8; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 202.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-24 (Abhishek, 3.1 overs), 2-90 (Suryakumar, 8.6), 3-167 (Tilak, 14.4), 4-175 (Samson, 15.4), 5-181 (Hardik, 16.5), 6-194 (Rinku, 18.5), 7-199 (Axar, 19.1), 8-202 (Bishnoi, 19.6).
SOUTH AFRICA BOWLING
Jansen 4-0-24-1, Markram 1-0-10-0, Maharaj 4-0-34-1, Coetzee 4-0-37-3, Peter 3-0-35-1, Kruger 2-0-35-1, Simelane 2-0-27-0.
SOUTH AFRICA
David Miller added 18 (22 balls, 1 four, 1 six) to the total, before he was dismissed in the same fashion, caught by Avesh off Varun. Patrick Kruger made just 1 (2 balls), falling to a catch by Hardik off Bishnoi.
Gerald Coetzee, however, brought some late fireworks, scoring 23 (11 balls, 3 sixes), before being run out. Keshav Maharaj added 5 (9 balls) before being dismissed by Avesh. Finally, Nqabayomzi Peter remained not out on 5 (3 balls, 1 four).
The team finished their innings on 141 in 17.5 overs, with 6 extras.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-8 (Markram, 0.4), 2-30 (Stubbs, 3.3), 3-44 (Rickelton, 5.2), 4-86 (Klaasen, 11.3), 5-87 (Miller, 11.5), 6-87 (Kruger, 12.1), 7-93 (Simelane, 12.5), 8-114 (Jansen, 14.6), 9-135 (Coetzee, 16.5).
INDIA BOWLING
Arshdeep 3-0-25-1, Avesh 2.5-0-28-2, Hardik 3-0-27-0, Varun 4-0-25-3, Bishnoi 4-0-28-3, Axar 1-0-8-0.
Toss: South Africa.
PoM: Samson.
India won by 61 runs to lead four-match series 1-0.
