The wait has finally ended. Eight years after he made his India debut, Sanju Samson has an international century to show. The frustration of being behind in the pecking order, the string of low scores, the tag of inconsistency… Samson broke past all of it en route to scoring a match-winning 108 off 114 balls, paving the way for India's second ODI bilateral series win in South Africa. Samson's outstanding knock, supported by Tilak Varma's maiden fifty, and a late push by Rinku Singh, propelled India to 296/8, a total which proved to be good enough in the end.
Samson has been one of the most talked-about Indian cricketers… for the plain fact that over the years, he wasn't able to live up to the hype, or replicate the form he enjoys in the IPL for India. As surprising as it may sound, Samson has played just 40 matches for India, but while he was expected to set the T20 format ablaze, his true calling seems to be ODIs. After Samson's long-awaited moment under the sun, India captain KL Rahul, happy to see the knock, pointed out a harsh reality surrounding Samson and his chances.
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"Pleased for Sanju, he's been a phenomenal performer in the IPL over the years. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to give him the chance at No. 3, because obviously there are stalwarts in the ODIs who occupy those key spots. Glad he was able to grab his chances here," he said during the presentation ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}"Pleased for Sanju, he's been a phenomenal performer in the IPL over the years. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to give him the chance at No. 3, because obviously there are stalwarts in the ODIs who occupy those key spots. Glad he was able to grab his chances here," he said during the presentation ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}Samson and Indian emotions go hand-in-hand. After he was omitted from India's squad for the World Cup for the second straight year, there was outrage among the public over the fact that the management chose Suryakumar Yadav – who hasn't quite cracked the code in ODIs yet – over the Kerala batter. But on Thursday, Samson set the record straight. He walked out to bat at No. 3 and with India in a similar spot as the last game at 101/3, put on a brilliant partnership of 116 with youngster Tilak. The stand turned out to be game-changing and India enjoyed its rewards by beating South Africa by 78 runs to clinch the series 2-1.
Focus shifts to Tests now, says Rahul
Samson's breathtaking innings capped off yet another bilateral series victory for India – the second one following the World Cup - to go with the drawn T20Is. Rahul, who captained the team during the 2021-22 series loss, expressed satisfaction with his redemption and shifts focus to the upcoming Tests, which begin from December 26.
"Love being around the boys, that's how it's been since I came over to South Africa after some time away following a disappointing World Cup final," he added. "Will celebrate with the boys and then switch back to focusing on the Test series in a day or two."