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India's Sanju Samson has become the first Indian cricketer to score two consecutive T20I centuries. At Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, Samson hammered 107 off 50 deliveries, including seven boundaries and ten massive sixes.
This remarkable innings follows his recent 111 off 47 balls against Bangladesh, where he struck 11 fours and eight sixes. After South Africa won the toss and chose to field, India suffered an early blow when Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for 7 by Gerald Coetzee, leaving India at 24/1. However, India reached the 50-run mark in just 5.3 overs, courtesy of some impressive strokes from Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav, who built a 66-run partnership. Suryakumar was dismissed for 21 by Patrick Kruger. Tilak Varma then joined Samson, adding 33 off 18 balls with three fours and two sixes before being dismissed by Keshav Maharaj. Samson was eventually removed by Nqabayomzi Peter, joining an elite list of players such as Gustav Mckeon, Rilee Rossouw, and Phil Salt, who have scored centuries in consecutive T20Is. Despite promising starts, Hardik Pandya (2) and Rinku Singh (11) could not make significant contributions. Axar Patel's comeback was also modest, dismissed for 7 by Marco Jansen, while Ravi Bishnoi managed only a single before being run out. Gerald Coetzee was the standout bowler for South Africa, claiming 3/37 in his four overs. Jansen, Maharaj, Peter, and Kruger each took one wicket, restricting India to a total of 202/8. Brief Score: India 202/8 (Sanju Samson 107, Tilak Varma 33; Gerald Coetzee 3/37) vs South Africa. (ANI)
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