SA vs IND | Samson’s fiery hundred and Bishnoi-Chakaravarthy’s spin wizardry leave South Africa in the shadows

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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India defeated South Africa by 61 runs in the first T20I at Durban. Sanju Samson led the Indian batting charge, scoring a sensational 107 off 50 balls to push India past the 200-run mark while Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy's three-fer put South Africa firmly on the back foot.

‌South Africa’s decision to bowl first didnt work well as India’s openers moved to 24/0 in three overs before Abhishek Sharma fell, struggling with the Durban surface’s unpredictable bounce. Suryakumar Yadav joined Sanju Samson, and the pair accelerated, lifting the score to 56/1 by the end of the powerplay. Samson was in full flow, reaching a brisk fifty off 27 balls, while Suryakumar departed in the ninth over to Patrick Kruger. India stood at 99/2 at the halfway mark with Tilak Varma joining Samson, who was unstoppable, bringing up a phenomenal century in just 47 deliveries—the first Indian to hit consecutive T20I hundreds. Tilak added a quickfire 33 off 18 but was dismissed in the 15th over. Samson continued his explosive innings, ultimately falling after a brilliant 107 off 50 balls. India reached 175/4 in 16 overs, with Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya at the crease. The momentum slowed briefly as Gerald Coetzee claimed Pandya’s wicket, followed by Axar Patel entering the fray. Despite losing Rinku and Axar in the final overs, India crossed the 200-run threshold, finishing at 202/8 in their 20 overs.

 

In response, the hosts stumbled early as Aiden Markram was removed by Arshdeep Singh in the first over. Although they reached 28/1 in three overs, Tristan Stubbs couldn’t capitalize, falling to Avesh Khan in the fourth. South Africa’s worries deepened as Rickelton departed before the end of the powerplay, leaving them at 49/3 after six overs with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease. The pair showed resilience, pushing the score to 76/3 in nine overs, but with the pitch favoring spin, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy applied pressure. As the required run rate neared 14, Klaasen and Miller awaited a breakthrough, only for Chakaravarthy to dismiss both in the same over. Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee launched a brief counterattack, taking the score to 101/7 by the 14th over, but Bishnoi broke the stand with Jansen’s crucial wicket. Coetzee fought on, hitting two sixes in the 16th over, yet with 74 needed off 24 balls, South Africa’s hopes waned. Surya’s sharp throw then ran out Coetzee, and Avesh Khan claimed the last wicket of Keshav Maharaj, sealing India’s 61-run victory.

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