NEW DELHI:
Sanju Samson
ended his prolonged quest for a
maiden international century
by playing a pivotal role in leading the Indian innings with a remarkable 108-run knock against South Africa in the third and final ODI of the series in Paarl on Thursday.
It took
Samson
more than eight years to bring up his maiden international hundred and the timing couldn't have been more opportune as it unfolded during the series decider.
The landmark moment for him came when he pushed Maharaj to long-off for a single as the dressing room went on its feet to applaud a fine dig.
Samson reached his century off 110 balls with six fours and two sixes and added another six before he skied a catch to mid-off.
Samson discovered an ideal partner in the composed Tilak Varma, who notched up his maiden ODI fifty with a composed 52 off 77 balls. Together, they built a crucial partnership of 116 runs for the fourth wicket, propelling India to a total of 296/8.
For a significant portion of his innings, Samson set aside his aggressive intent, focusing on accumulating singles and twos, a strategy aligned with the characteristics of the Boland Park pitch, which offered a bit of challenge.
Yet, the right-hander occasionally unleashed his T20 flair, exemplified by smashing pacer Nandre Burger for a substantial six over mid-wicket and executing a graceful inside-out loft over cover off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for a four.
Expressing joy over his maiden ODI century, Samson mentioned that it feels emotional to see the results align with his hard work.
"I feel really emotional, going through the emotions now. I am very happy to achieve this. I have been putting in a lot of work, both physically and mentally, and I am happy to see the results go my way now," he said during the mid innings break.
English (US) ·