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‘Aaj suraj paschim se uga hai’ – Fans react as Sanju Samson hits maiden international ton against South Africa in 3rd ODI

Dec 21, 2023 8:32 pm

Sanju Samson scored century (Source - Twitter) — Sanju Samson scored century (Source – Twitter)

India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson notched up his maiden international century during the third and final ODI against South Africa at Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday, December 21. Samson’s century came off 110 balls in the 44th over of India’s innings, marking a significant milestone in his cricketing career.

The right-hander’s previous best in the format was an unbeaten 86 against South Africa in Lucknow last year. Despite facing challenges in the limited-overs format, with only 16 ODI matches to his name since his debut in 2021, Samson showcased his prowess by batting at the one-drop position for only the third time in ODIs. Traditionally batting at No. 5 and 6, Samson’s adaptability was on full display as he expertly anchored the innings.

The match began with India losing debutant Rajat Patidar early in the fifth over, after South Africa elected to bowl. Partnering with skipper KL Rahul, Samson worked to consolidate India’s position, sharing a crucial 52-run partnership that took 68 balls. Rahul’s departure did not deter Samson, who continued to build momentum, reaching his fifty off 66 balls.

Feels really emotional, going through the emotions now: Sanju Samson

Samson’s innings gained further solidity with a 116-run partnership with Tilak Varma for the fourth wicket, providing India with a strong platform to post a competitive total. Varma, too, played a pivotal role, scoring his maiden ODI half-century after a cautious start.

The right-hander’s century, however, came to an end at 108 off 114 balls, dismissed by Lizaad Williams. Despite the loss of Samson, India’s batsmen set the stage for a challenging total. But the Men in Blue started losing wickets at regular intervals of time. However, with a brilliant finishing touch from Rinku Singh, India ended up scoring 296 runs. Here’s what Samson said after his century.

“Feels really emotional, going through the emotions now. Very happy to achieve this. Have been putting in a lot of work physically and mentally, happy to see the results go my way now. They bowled really well with the new ball, and the older ball was getting slower and more difficult to bat. So after KL got out, they had the momentum where Maharaj was bowling very well. But me and Tilak stuck it out and went strong at the end. We were playing an extra all-rounder today, so me and Tilak had decided that we had to go hard from the 40th over onwards.” Samson said in the post-match presentation.

Here’s how fans reacted: