Team India Returns To Winning Ways, Slays South Africa By 61 Runs In 1st T20I

Team India has registered a handsome victory over South Africa by 61 runs in 1st T20I of series at Kingsme, Durban, on Friday. win put India at a 1-0 le over hosts in 4-match bilateral series. Batting first, India posted a daunting total of 202/8 after 20 overs. In reply, Proteas bundled out at score of 141 inside 18 overs. Sanju Samson was judged player of match for playing a brilliant century kck of 107 in 50 balls.  

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India vs South Africa 1st T20I: Match Summary

Sanju Samson's breathtaking second century was beautifully complemented by spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishi as India outclassed South Africa by a whopping 61 runs in first T20 International to go 1-0 up in four-match series here on Friday.

Often panned for t realizing minefield of talent that he is, Samson became first Indian batter to hit back-to-back centuries in T20 Internationals as his 50-ball-107 with as many as 10 monstrous sixes took India to 202 for 8 in 20 overs.

This despite India managing a mere 35 runs in last five overs.

In reply, it was Varun (3/25 in 4 overs), who literally killed contest by getting Heinrich Klaasen (25 off 22 balls) and David Miller (18 off 22 balls) in a of three deliveries in 12th over with South Africa being shot out for 141 in 17.5 overs.

But praise is eugh for Bishi (3/28 in 4 overs), who delivered a brilliant spell of 3/28 in 4 overs. In 11th over, he bowled five consecutive dot balls to Miller, leaving South African batter struggling to re his googlies as pressure mounted on Proteas which was expertly capitalized on by Varun.

In 13th over, Bishi followed Varun by getting a couple of wickets more as an Indian victory became a mere formality.

On a reasonably good batting track, Varun-Bishi duo bowled 27 dot balls between m after Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan did initial dam.

Sanju: Real Samson 

On a breezy Durban evening with crosswinds blowing across Kingsme, Sanju showed Samson-like strength apart from silken grace that one can associate with Rohit Sharma 's halcyon days.

re were pulled sixes off short balls from leg-spinner Nqabyomzi Peter and to length deliveries from pacers, he me room and tonked m down ground.

clarity in his shot selection and how cleverly he was always one up on South Africans in terms of using ir field placings to his vant spoke volumes of his improvement as a batter in recent times. best part about Samson is his new-found consistency and finding his mojo as an opener in shortest format.

Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, two regular openers are currently busy with Test commitments along with Rishabh Pant but even when se three are present, y will have to make way for Samson rar than or way round.

best shot which would be etched in memory for longest time would be a lofted six over extra cover off seamer Andile Semilane where batter holding pose post execution was sight to behold.

He ded 66 runs in just 5.5 overs with Suryakumar Yav (21) and ar 77 with Tilak Varma (33) in 5.4 overs.

His performance raised visions of a score of close to 250 but pacers Gerald Coetzee (3/37 in 4 overs) and Marco Jansen (1/24 in 4 overs) bowled brilliantly at death to t only get wickets but also slip in a generous number of dot balls to curtail dam inflicted by Samson during first 15 overs.

(With inputs from PTI)