Sanju Samson smashed a 50-ball 107 at the Kingsmead in Durban during the first T20I against South Africa and was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM). He became only the fourth international player to score consecutive men’s T20I hundreds.
Tempers flared during the South Africa vs India T20I series opener at the Kingsmead in Durban when Marco Jansen and Sanju Samson got into a mid-pitch argy-bargy. The incident unfolded after the second delivery of the 15th over when Samson got onto the pitch while trying to collect the ball. Samson’s action irked the South African bowling allrounder Jansen and he confronted him.
Jansen was soon joined by his fellow fast-bowling partner Gerald Coetzee and the two engaged in a verbal duel with the Indian wicketkeeper. Sensing that the situation might get very intense soon, the India captain Suryakumar Yadav rushed to the pitch and played the mediator.
Suryakumar’s involvement defused the whole situation and prevented it from escalating any further. The game restarted and after three deliveries Jansen holed out to Hardik Pandya patrolling at backward point.
India display dominance at Kingsmead
The first T20I witnessed a display of dominance by the reigning T20 world champions, India. After being sent in to bat first, the Men in Blue posted 202 for the loss of eight wickets. More than half of those runs came from the willow of Sanju Samson, who looked a class apart from the rest of the batters on show.
Samson became only the fourth player in international cricket to score back-to-back tons in men’s T20Is after France’s Gustav Mckeon, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, and England’s Phil Salt. Samson’s knock of 107 was studded with seven fours and 10 sixes. He batted at a strike rate of 214.00 and ripped the South African attack to shreds.
The Indian bowling attack also responded fairly well and didn’t let the South African batters run away with the game at any stage. Varun Chakravarthy finished with figures of 3/25 and was the pick of all the India bowlers.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi also claimed a three-wicket haul and supported Chakravarthy really well.
