SA vs IND | Twitter hurrahs as Sanju Samson flexes muscles following maiden India ton eight years after debut

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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You never forget your firsts and Sanju Samson will certainly have today's date etched in his memory for time immemorial as the Keralite registered his first international ton on Thursday. He anchored the innings impressively in tricky conditions before showcasing his guns in a quiet celebration.

Despite a quickfire start, India found themselves in deep trouble on a difficult Paarl deck offering uneven bounce after both openers departed within the powerplay to leave the visitors reeling at 49/2, with Sanju Samson and KL Rahul at the crease. Even though the Indian skipper tried to steer the ship to safer waters with a half-century stand, a bizarre dismissal for 21 meant the onus once again lay on Samson to prove his credentials in challenging conditions. The 29-year-old has been a household name for years after repeatedly showcasing his pedigree in the IPL which earned him a T20I cap in July 2015 but a lack of opportunities and big performances on the international circuit since have left him perpetually on the fringes of the Indian side. The deciding ODI against the Proteas offered Samson the opportunity to flip the script and he pounced on it with both hands.

The right-hander cautiously made his way to 50 off 66 balls, striking four boundaries, and with young rookie Tilak Varma struggling to buy a run at the other end, Samson made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. He stepped on the accelerator anytime the pressure was beginning to build during a lull and eventually got to the magical three-figure mark on the last ball of the 44th over with a single off Keshav Maharaj. While the Indian dugout rose as one to laud the achievement that was a long time coming, Samson purposefully took off his helmet before raising his bat to the cheering Boland Park crowd. However, to add the flavour of his typical showmanship, the batter slowly pushed back his sleeves and flexed his biceps to commemorate the once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Samson eventually departed an over and half later for 108 at an impressive strike rate of 94.73 featuring three maximums and six boundaries, taking his career tally to 510 runs after 14 innings at a brilliant average of 56.66, much to Twitterati's delight.



That's some celebration from Sanju!

WHat a day for him!

Hahaha!

Very emotional one!

Big day to be remembered!

Sanju Samson huge respect!

LOL!

Agreed!

Man waited years!

Yes sir!!!

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