Majestic Samson 100 powers India to big win over South Africa in 1st T20I at Durban

 

In the T20 World Cup final, India clinched a last-minute victory over South Africa. However, in the first match of the T20 series, India needed much less effort to overcome the same opponent. Powered by Sanju Samson's century and Varun Chakravarthy's three-wicket haul, India secured a 61-run win, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

Following the World Cup, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement, with Jasprit Bumrah also missing from this series. This has led to a completely new Indian team, packed with young talent. On the other hand, South Africa fielded seven players from their World Cup lineup. However, they found themselves outclassed by the youthful Indian side. India excelled in all three areas — batting, bowling, and fielding, maintaining control over the entire game. Had they not slowed down in the final overs, the margin of victory could have been even greater.

It was the Sanju Samson show at Durban on this evening . Samson, who scored a century in his last T20 match against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, brought that same form to South Africa, becoming the first Indian to score consecutive centuries in T20 internationals. He joined the ranks of France's Gustav McKeon, South Africa's Rilee Rossouw, and England's Phil Salt as the fourth batter worldwide to achieve this feat. Samson sent the ball all over the ground, sparing no bowler, as South Africa tried seven different bowlers to dismiss him. Despite criticism that he couldn’t always deliver when trusted, the Kerala cricketer silenced his doubters with a stellar 107 off just 50 balls, striking at over 200 with seven fours and ten sixes before being dismissed in the 16th over. Samson played breathtaking shots all around the ground as his majestic style left the crowd in absolute awe . 

 His helmet-off, broad-smile celebration was met with applause from the entire Indian dugout, as well as the home team fans . 

Apart from Samson , skipper Surya Kumar Yadav (21) & Tilak Verma (33) contributed brisk cameos . 

When Samson was caught by Tristan Stubbs on 107 after 15.3 overs, India's score was already 175, with six wickets in hand and Hardik Pandya at the crease. However, Samson’s departure led to a drastic slowdown in India’s scoring. Hardik was dismissed shortly afterward, and the remaining batters, in a rush, lost their wickets quickly. India managed only 40 runs in the final six overs, which could have been higher had they maintained their patience at the crease. In future matches, such scoring slumps could prove costly, especially when chasing a target.

Just two days ago, Abhishek Sharma had mentioned Yuvraj’s six sixes at Durban in a video released by the board. However, he couldn’t replicate that success on the field, scoring only seven runs. With Rohit Sharma retired, Samson seems to have cemented his spot as an opener, and Abhishek is also being counted on. However, to secure his place in the T20 team, Abhishek will need to deliver more consistent performances. Although he scored a century in his second T20 match, he hasn’t managed to cross 20 runs in any innings since. If Shubman Gill returns to the T20 team, Abhishek may face losing his spot.

In the chase , opening for South Africa, Aiden Markram signalled his intent early, hitting consecutive boundaries off Arshdeep Singh and showing an aggressive approach to the chase. Dismissing him was undoubtedly a key achievement for India, as Markram has the potential to single-handedly steer his team to victory if he settles in. His early dismissal put South Africa under pressure, and they struggled to recover throughout the match. Much was expected of Rickleton (21) , Stubbs(11) , Klaasen (25) & Miller (18) but none of them could bat long enough and could tackle the guiles of Varun Chakravarty who rattled the hosts in his spell claiming 3 wickets . Bishnoi also chipped in with 3 wickets while Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh took 2 & 1 wicket respectively as India romp home to an emphatic victory.