IND vs SA 1st T20I: Sanju Samson scripts history, becomes first Indian to notch this massive milestone after blistering century against South Africa

Star batter Sanju Samson continued his hot form in the shortest format of the game, smashing his second consecutive T20I century. The 29-year-old Indian batter cracked a blistering hundred in the first T20I against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban on November 8.

Sanju Samson blasts back-to-back centuries in T20Is

With this he entered the history books as he become the first Indian cricketer to score back-to-back T20I centuries.

Before Samson, only three other batters in the world had cracked back-to-back centuries in T20Is: Gustav Mckeon (France), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), and Phil Salt (England).

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Samson's aggressive batting display against South Africa was particularly noteworthy, as he punished the Proteas bowlers, especially the spinners like Keshav Maharaj and Nqabayomzi Peter. Samson returned to the pavilion after scoring a lightning 50-ball 107 riding on 10 sixes and seven fours.

Building on his exceptional performance in the previous match against Bangladesh, where he scored a blistering 111 runs off 47 balls, Samson yet again proved his batting prowess with yet another explosive knock. Samson took just 47 balls to reach the three figure mark. He bagged another big feat on the back of a whirlwind ton as he became India's fastest centurion against South Africa in T20Is, surpassing Suryakumar Yadav's previous record of a 55-ball century.

Samson breaks Suryakumar Yadav's massive record

The Kerala batter proved to be a formidable force against South Africa's spinners, particularly Keshav Maharaj and Nqabayomzi Peter, who struggled to contain his aggressive batting.

Samson reached his century in the 15th over, off the bowling of Maharaj, setting a new record for India's fastest T20I century against South Africa. He surpassed Suryakumar Yadav's previous best.

The Indian batter showcased his explosive power-hitting by scoring the final 50 runs of his century in a mere 20 balls. Eventually, he was dismissed by Nqabayomzi Peter after scoring a brilliant 107 runs.

Samson has often faced criticism for not consistently converting his potential into significant scores. However, in October 2024, he silenced his critics with a remarkable performance. Samson smashed 111 runs in the final T20I against Bangladesh, showcasing his explosive batting abilities.

South Africa's decision to bowl first after winning the toss

India's playing XI

1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

South Africa's playing XI

1 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 Partrick Kruger, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Simelane, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Nqabayomzi Peter

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