India kick off SA tour in style; win 1st T20I by 61 runs
India kicked off their tour of South Africa impressively, defeating the hosts by 61 runs in the opening T20I game held in Durban. On Friday, November 8, Sanju Samson and Varun Chakravarthy joined forces to reinforce India’s supremacy over South Africa – the squad they defeated to secure the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The victory helped India to prolong their undefeated streak at the venue, marking their 5th win there out of 7 matches. The cherished location of the renowned bowl-out between India and Pakistan witnessed India delivering another precise performance with both bat and ball. Batting first in gloomy weather, India scored 202/8 in the first innings and then effectively dismissed South Africa for 141 in just 17.5 overs.
The victory was crafted by an impressive 47-ball century from Sanju Samson, followed by a middle-overs blockade from Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi that stifled South Africa’s renowned middle-order lineup.
Neither Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, nor Tristan Stubbs could last beyond 25 balls against India’s bowling attack, leading to a devastating loss for the team.
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Classy ton from Sanju Samson
Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir’s belief in Sanju Samson was rewarded when the wicketkeeper-batter made history in Durban. Samson made history as the first India batter to score consecutive T20I centuries. In reality, he was just the third batsman from a Test playing country to accomplish this – following Phil Salt and Riley Russouw.
Sanju’s hundred included 7 fours and 10 sixes from 50 deliveries. The smooth innings witnessed Samson utilizing every area of the field, particularly the square of the wicket. Numerous times, Sanju failed to connect with the pitch of the ball, yet he adeptly adapted with his remarkable wrists and effortlessly sent the balls sailing beyond the boundary.
