Sanju Samson hit his maiden International century in the third ODI against South Africa at Boland Park in Paarl. He reached 100 runs in 110 balls during the 44th over. His best score before this was 86 not out, also against South Africa in a match in Lucknow last year.
Sanju Samson Hit His Maiden International Century Vs South Africa
During the third ODI match between South Africa and India, Sanju Samson hit his maiden international century. This significant milestone added a thrilling dimension to the contest, underlining Samson’s growing scale in international cricket. His century, characterized by precision and poise, played an important role in shaping the course of the match. This accomplishment highlighted Samson’s skill and tenacity and considerably impacted the game’s dynamics, making it a memorable event in the series.
A statement-making maiden ODI century for Sanju Samson, a cautious but critical half-century from Tilak Varma, and yet another death-overs cameo from Rinku Singh helped India post a competitive 296 for 8 in the deciding ODI of the series in Paarl against South Africa.
The pair got together when India lost their third wicket for 101 runs, and their 116-run stand held the innings together through a middle-overs period where the slow surface and accurate spin bowling made run-scoring challenging.
Tilak, in particular, was strangled by Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram early on, even as Samson – promoted to No. 3 for the decider – looked fluent against pace as well as spin. India’s scoring rate dropped significantly between overs 11 to 30, as the pair – and KL Rahul previously – built at a slow pace, adding only 73 runs in that period. In the first ten, India scored 59 courtesy of a spunky 16-ball 22 from opener Rajat Patidar on debut, giving them the early momentum.
Tilak’s struggles against spin also starved Samson off strike for most of the middle overs. Still, Samson did not lose patience in his innings building, easing the overall pressure with the occasional boundary to keep India moving.
Once Tilak got his first boundary in his 39th ball to move from nine to 13, their partnership’s floodgates also opened, with the runs coming more frequently. The 71 runs the pair added between the 31st and 40th over brought India back on track with big hitters to follow, but Tilak fell for 52 soon after hitting his maiden ODI fifty to Maharaj.
The incoming Rinku was quick off the blocks, but the confident Samson played relatively risk-free cricket to keep India’s score moving. He brushed past his previous ODI high score of 86 and then, in the 44th over, reached his maiden India century by driving down the ground for a single. His 110-ball century was followed up with a flex of his muscle, and with six overs left, the Indians had done relatively well after losing Patidar, B Sai Sudharsan (10), and Rahul (21) cheaply.
Samson was eventually gone for 108 with a strike rate of almost 95 in the 46th over trying to hit Lizaad Williams out of the ground, but his century meant the stage was set for some late fireworks. That was provided by Rinku, who muscled 38 in 27 balls. He was assisted by small cameos from Washington Sundar (14 off nine) and Arshdeep Singh (unbeaten seven off two) while also being helped by the hosts bowling a flurry of wides at the death. That pushed India to a score of 296 for 8 – including 164 in the last 20 overs – to post a total that would keep both sides on their toes for the chase.
For South Africa, their bowling on a sticky surface earned just rewards early on, with Sudharsan failing to make it three fifties in a row after being trapped lbw by Hendricks and Rahul caught behind off Wiaan Mulder after the ball hit the back of his bat. Patidar’s mercurial knock was ended by Nandre Burger, while Maharaj impressed with his miserly spell of 1 for 37 that included two maidens. In the 1st innings, Sanju Samson hit his maiden International century was the key point.
