Sanju’s sparking century sets up India’s win in first T20I

South Africa vs India, 1st T20I
South Africa vs India, 1st T20I (PC: BCCI)

India started off the four-match T20I series against South Africa with a massive 61-run win at the Kingsmead, Durban. First, Sanju Samson’s outstanding second T20I century set the tone, and then India’s entire bowling unit, particularly the spinners, delivered a strong performance to secure the victory for the visitors. 

After winning the toss, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram chose to field first. For India, Sanju and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings, but it was not an ideal start for the visitors. Gerald Coetzee dismissed Abhishek for seven runs, bringing India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, to the crease. Suryakumar and Sanju formed a 66-run partnership for the second wicket, taking India to 90/2 in nine overs. In his 21-run innings, Suryakumar played a supporting role, while Sanju displayed his full range of shots around the ground.

The Indian wicketkeeper-batter reached his fifty in just 27 balls and continued to hit powerfully. In his next 20 balls, he added another fifty runs, becoming the first Indian to score consecutive centuries in T20 cricket. Tilak Varma also contributed with a brisk 33 off 18 balls at a strike-rate of 183.33 at the No. 4 position. However, after Tilak’s dismissal, India experienced a dramatic collapse, losing their last eight wickets for only 35 runs. Thanks to Samson’s impressive 107, India posted 202/8.

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Sanju Samson vs South Africa, 1st T20I in Durban
Sanju Samson vs South Africa, 1st T20I in Durban (PC: BCCI)

For South Africa, Coetzee took three wickets, while Patrick Kruger, Nqabayomzi Peter, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen claimed one each. In response, South Africa struggled under pressure right from the start. Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Varun Chakravarthy struck early, reducing the home side to 49/3 in the first six overs.

In the middle overs, Ravi Bishnoi joined in, and the spin duo of Bishnoi and Varun put the Proteas batters under serious pressure. Heinrich Klaasen (25 off 22) and David Miller (18 off 22) did their best but they struggled to read the spinners. With pressure building, the home team found themselves needing 110 runs from the last seven overs, with only three wickets remaining.

The home crowd enjoyed a brief show when Coetzee scored 23 runs off 11 balls with some crisp shots. However, both spinners claimed three wickets each, and South Africa were eventually bowled out for 141 in 17.5 overs. With this win, India remained undefeated in Durban in T20Is with five wins and one no-result in six games. Sanju Samson named the Player of the Match for his outrageous knock. 

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