'This is a bigger positive than Samson’s batting': Manjrekar highlights another big gain for India

In the 3rd ODI between South Africa and India in 2023, South Africa decided to bowl after winning the toss. India defeated South Africa by 78 runs, scoring 296/8 in 50 overs as opposed to South Africa's 218 runs in 45.5 overs. India easily triumphed 2-1 in the series. Tony de Zorzi of South Africa finished with 81 runs off 87 balls, and Sanju Samson of India finished with 108 runs off 114 balls. In nine overs, Arshdeep Singh of India claimed four wickets for thirty runs, while Beuran Hendricks of South Africa claimed three wickets for 63 runs.  

3 things you need to know 

• India beat South Africa in the 3rd ODI by 78 runs 
• Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Match 
• Arshdeep Singh was named the Player of the Series 

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Sanjay Manjrekar praises Arshdeep Singh’s performance in the ODI series 

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar argues that Arshdeep Singh's comeback as a youthful left-arm bowler is a bigger plus for the visiting side than Sanju Samson's batting performance in the just-finished ODI series in South Africa.

India won the three-match ODI series 2-1 against South Africa. With a remarkable 108 off 114 balls, Samson was instrumental in the series decider, while Arshdeep took the lead as Player of the Series with 10 wickets at a 9.50 average. The 24-year-old improved his form with outstanding bowling efforts against the Proteas, despite not being in great form prior to the ODI series.

The biggest plus for the Men in Blue, according to Manjrekar's appraisal of the India-South Africa ODI series, has been Arshdeep's return to form. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Manjrekar said: 

‘This is a bigger positive than Sanju Samson’s batting. He had taken five wickets earlier in the series. But, in this match [third ODI], he dismissed set batters. The swinging delivery he bowled to dismiss [Tony] De Zorzi was a very good ball. He bowled an unplayable delivery to a batter who was defending to get him out,"

"Arshdeep got the wickets for India against the run of play. When our full strength team is back, Arshdeep will be still around the squad,” 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Arshdeep Singh is the Player of the Series for his bowling brilliance, claiming 🔟 wickets in three matches 👏👏<br><br>Scoredard ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/nSIIL6gzER">https://t.co/nSIIL6gzER</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/9jPl2Qd762">pic.twitter.com/9jPl2Qd762</a></p>&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1737922345510273528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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What’s next for Team India?

From December 26, 2023, Team India will now play a two-match Test series against South Africa.

India’s squad for South Africa Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk)