PAARL, South Africa: Sanju Samson struck 108 from 114 balls on a slow wicket at Boland Park as India claimed a 78-run one-day International win over hosts South Africa at Boland Park on Thursday to secure a 2-1 victory in the series.
It is the second time India have claimed an ODI series win in South Africa as they posted an above-par 296 for eight in their 50 overs after being surprisingly sent into bat. South Africa kept up with the run-rate for much of their reply, but lost wickets at regular intervals on a pitch not conducive to expansive stroke-play and were bowled out for 218.
That made Samson's effort all the more impressive as he took 66 balls to pass 50 and a further 54 deliveries to reach his maiden international hundred. "We had to take a bit of extra time to see how the pitch plays and how the bowler is trying to get you out," Samson said. "Batting higher up gave me those extra 20 balls to assess that. I focused on my process, there is a lot of hard work that has been done on that recently."
India had been in some early trouble after the early dismissals of debutant opener Rajat Patidar (22) and Sai Sudharsan (10). But Tilak Varma (52 from 77 balls) and Samson put on 116 for the fourth wicket in the sweltering heat of Paarl, and Rinku Singh contributed a quick-fire 38 from 27 balls at the end of the innings.
South Africa opener Tony de Zorzi blazed a century in the last game and his 81 this time round was the only score of substance in the home side's reply. Several batters made starts but India's bowlers were disciplined with their lines, and spinner Washington Sundar (2-38) and seamer Arshdeep Singh (4-30) were particularly impressive forcing scoreboard pressure to take wickets.
"We were up for it, it was a series decider at a great venue with a pretty full house (of spectators)," South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. "Our skills just let us down. We were good in small patches but could not stretch those out long enough to get momentum on our side. "I don’t think the surface changed much through the day and I thought 290 was chaseable." Both teams had rested several frontline players ahead of a two-match Test series that starts in Pretoria on Tuesday.
GOOD FIGHT
India in particular gave several inexperienced players a run. "It was good to see what everyone did, they showed fight through of the series," Indian captain KL Rahul said. "A few of them were nervous to start off, so I just let them be to get used to international cricket and the pressure.
"I am very happy for Sanju, he has been a great performer in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and unfortunately has not had enough chances near the top of the order for various reasons. "There are so many world-class players in India that are settled at the top of the order."
Rahul, who featured in the World Cup final loss on home soil against Australia last month, said it is good to be able to play with a smile again. "We had a disappointing result in the World Cup final and I had some time off. It was nice to get back on the cricket field and to be part of this group, putting up good performances.
"My message (to the players) is always to enjoy the game and each situation. Give your best and don’t worry so much about the result. "It is a young group. They have played a lot of cricket but not at international level." Seamer Arshdeep Singh was named player of the series after taking 10 wickets.
"The IPL has been a very good platform for us youngsters, there isn't a big gap between IPL and international cricket," Singh said. "You understand the mindset of international cricketers and it helps. We are all loving the chances we've got. We'd love to give our all in the future and do well." -- Reuters
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