SOUTH AFRICA VS INDIA, 1ST T20I, KINGSMEAD, DURBAN :Samson’s Sensational Century And Indian Bowlers Demolished South Africa in 1st T20I .
India, Saka f the first T20I in Durban by 61 runs thanks to a dazzling century from Sanju Samson. India were invited to bat first and they scored a mammoth total of 202 for 8; Samson played a belligerent knock. The wicketkeeper-batter cracked 107 in just 50 balls with the aid of 7 fours and 10 sixes This made Samson the first Indian batter to hit back-to-back centuries in T20I cricket and the fourth overall. The best bowler for the home side was Gerald Coetzee, who took 3-37 in four overs. South Africa had no answers in reply as Varun Chakravarthy ( 3 for 25), and Ravi Bishnoi (3 for 28) ran through the batting order, as hosts got all out for 141.
TOSS-
South Africa has won the toss and opted to bowl first.
South Africa Playing XI:
Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter
India Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh , Avesh Khan
INDIA-
Samson, early to realize that the quicks were getting bounce off the pitch, countered it by batting deep in his crease. Anything short by even a fraction to him, was sent into the stands via his pull. Whenever the pacers — such as Marco Jansen, tried to scalpel him with a slightly fuller length thereon, he flicked them away with effortless authority. Abhishek Sharma got out early But Samson forced India to 56/1 in the Power Play .
Samson’s assault included two hit-me half-trackers from South Africa’s 22-year-old leggie Nqabayomzi Peter who was deposited into the deep mid-wicket stands on both occasions. Samson was also brutal against spin (58 in 27 balls) in Durban as he was during the game against Bangladesh in Hyderabad – where he scored 111 (47).
One pacer though Kruger who tried different things – such as the full and wide delivery, slower ones but was also taken to the cleaners. However, it was the knuckle ball that came as a surprise to Surya Kumar who mis-timed a loft and found the deep square leg fielder. His bat swing though did not change as he pushed the team to a hundred in the 11th over, off Keshav Maharaj.
Samson crashed it over wide long off for his most aesthetically pleasing six of the night in the 13th — off debutant Andile Simelane. As India positioned itself for yet another outrageous total even by T20 standards, he kept his foot firmly on the pedal to keep directing higher numbers in the 200s. Aiden Markram was fast running out of ideas and bowlers to stem the carnage with 162/2 in their 14th over till the next 12 deliveries relieved South Africa ever so slightly: Add Comment Maharaj struck first, having tilted Varma off a catch for Tristan Stubbs at deep mid-wicket before the 15th over to leave with Samson aiming for his 11th six and finding a fielder way back. However, India’s middle and lower-order were unable to capitalize on the launchpad as they managed only 27 runs in the last four overs at the cost of four wickets with the visitors ending their innings at 202/8.
SOUTH AFRICA-
The bowlers gave South Africa a glimmer of hope with some late momentum but that was extinguished when Aiden Markram fell caught behind in the very first over to Arshdeep Singh and Tristan Stubbs was able only to hit Avesh Khan to mid-off inside his fourth over. Some of this led to a clash between Heinrich Klaasen and Hardik Pandya, which Pandya reserve won in the T20 World Cup final in 2023. Suryakumar however soon converted his attention to squeezing South Africa with spin and that turned out uneventful this time around. Varun CV reaped rewards in the very next over, the last of the Power Play as Ryan Rickelton holed out to Tilak Varma at long on.
Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa’s experienced T20 pair, settled in during the middle-overs and made most of anything short from the Indian spinners. Both Varun and Ravi Bishnoi then forced the two free-spirited hitters into a cramped zone by bowling full, much to the vocal delight of behind-the-stumps navigator Samson. In the 10th over, with South Africa requiring 12.50 for the second half of their chase, Varun’s accuracy did not go unnoticed as he conceded only two runs. That led to confusion when Bishnoi opted for a rare googly instead of his customary leg spin with the other, and especially for Miller – who managed just 1 run in the 11th over. Varun’s end to those 12 balls added pressure, and he got Klaasen (28 off 12), to be caught in the deep by Axar Patel; and Miller (25 off 21) to be held at short third man by Avesh Khan.
After striking with his first delivery of the day to dismiss David Miller shortly after lunch, Bishnoi lured a tentative new batter Patrick Kruger with a ball pitched up outside off stump to have him caught at point. Andile Simelane became the latest to fall victim as he was leg before, South Africa now just 93/7 with Parnell also following his tight over up with a double-wicket one. Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee threw their bats to get past 100 but Bishnoi ended an entertaining knock from Jansen to claim his third of the match.
Coetzee continued the tonking, and went to town against Hardik, smashing two monstrous sixes in an over. However, that entertainment ended when Surya Kumar nailed a direct hit that caught the batter short of his crease. Avesh Khan then rounded off the match by cleaning up Keshav Maharaj in 18th over.
Results in Short:
India 202/8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 107, Tilak Varma 33; Gerald Coetzee 3-37) beat South Africa 141 in 17.5 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 25; Varun CV 3-25, Ravi Bishnoi 3-28, Avesh Khan 2-28) by 61 runs .