Sanju Samson scripted history on Friday, November 15, becoming the first Indian man to hit more than one hundred in a bilateral T20I series. Samson hit 107 in the T20I series opener against South Africa in Durban last week and followed it up with an 51-ball hundred in the fourth and final match of the series in Johannesburg. Samson was in red-hot form in front of a packed Wanderers Stadium crowd as he led India’s batting show in the finale of the four-match series. | SCORECARD |
Only one batter in world cricket had hit two hundreds in the same bilateral series in men’s T20I cricket – Phil Salt in West Indies in December 2023. Sanju Samson joined the England batter in the elite list.
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It seems Samson is looking to make up for all the lost time in his T20I career. In a span of one month, Samson has hit as many as three T20I hundreds. In fact, he became the first man to hit three hundreds in a calendar year in men’s T20Is.
Incidentally, Tilak Varma also joined the elite list, hitting a 41-ball hundred in the fourth T20I on Friday. It was his second hundred in as many innings after the match-winning ton in Centurion on Wednesday.
BATTERS WITH 2 HUNDREDS IN A MEN’S T20I SERIES
1. Phil Salt – West Indies vs England in 2023
2. Sanju Samson – South Africa vs India in 2024
3. Tilak Varma – South Africa vs India in 2024
Sanju Samson was under a bit of pressure heading into the final match of the series after having bagged two successive ducks. In the last two games, Samson was dismissed by Marco Jansen, but Samson managed to survive the threat from the left-arm fast bowler.
Once he found his rhythm, Samson was unstoppable on a batting-friendly pitch at the Wanderers.
After a quiet first over in which India managed just four runs after winning the toss and opting to bat. Samson began the carnage, hitting a pull shot to a bouncer from Gerald Coetzee. Samson made his intentions clear with the massive six in the second over. With a square cut in the same over, Samson got into top gear early on in his innings.
Samson tore into the South African pacers and got excellent support from his opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who was at his ruthless best, scoring 36 from just 18 balls. While Abhishek was dismissed by Lutho Sipamla in the final over of the powerplay, Samson raced to 28 off 17 balls.
Samson played the South African spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Tristan Stubbs and captain Aiden Markram with ease, smashing them into the park with ease.
Samson and Tilak Varma were trying to out bat each other as they went on a six-hitting spree in the middle overs. The two batters added 150 runs in just 64 balls. Tilak Varma, who hit his maiden hundred in Centurion on Wednesday, followed it up with a fifty in just 22 balls. Tilak was at his aggressive best, tearing into the spinners in the middle overs. Tilak was hitting it like AB de Villiers, playing reverse sweeps that flew over the boundary rope.
In the 14th over, Tilak put Markram under incredible pressure, hitting the part-time off-spinner for two sixes and as many boundaries, scoring 26 runs in a stretch of five deliveries.
India finished with 283 for 1 in their quota of 20 overs, their second-highest T20I total, next only to 297 which came against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. Tilak hit 120 not out while Samson smashed 109 not out as they stitched a 210-run partnership in just 86 balls.
