SA vs IND 3rd ODI Report: Sanju Samson, the other day, called himself the unluckiest player ever. This was not just a sudden outburst from a momentary thing he suffered, but the culmination of all the injustice he has been subjected to by Team India’s selectors. Though he has had better numbers than a lot of first-team players, Sanju’s fate was always to sit on the sidelines or not even reach there most of the time.
But when he got a chance to appear in the ODI against South Africa, which he got due to the outrage on social media against BCCI’s selective approach to players, Sanju showed why they have been on the wrong side of the decisions all the time. He smacked a thrilling 108, which gave India a win to bag the series 2-1.
Sanju’s Smack and Bowlers’Thwack
In the series decider at Boland Park, India walked into a 78-run victory powered by Samson’s maiden ODI ton. South Africa, though it had a win over the toss, couldn’t capitalize on it on the pitch as India set a pretty strong total of 296 for 8. Answering that, despite a valiant effort from Tony de Zorzi, who scored 81, the South African innings crumbled under the impressive bowling of Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar.
The Kerala man’s 108 runs laid a strong foundation for India after they faced early setbacks with the dismissals of Rajat Patidar, B Sai Sudharsan, and KL Rahul. Samson, along with Tilak Verma, orchestrated a crucial 116-run partnership that anchored the innings through a challenging phase of slow and accurate spin bowling.
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The initial momentum gained in the batting powerplay was momentarily lost as Tilak struggled against spin. However, the duo steadily built the innings, and once Tilak found his rhythm, the scoring rate accelerated. As per the South Africa vs India 3rd ODI Highlights, Samson’s patient and risk-free approach, coupled with Tilak’s fifty, set the stage for late fireworks.
Tilak’s departure for 52 did little to deter Samson, who went on to score an impressive 108 runs off 110 balls. His innings, characterized by calculated aggression, lifted India to a competitive total. Rinku Singh’s quickfire 38, supported by contributions from Washington and Arshdeep with the bat, propelled India to 296 for 8, including a remarkable 164 runs in the last 20 overs.
In response, South Africa faced early setbacks, losing key wickets to Arshdeep’s clinical bowling. Despite de Zorzi’s resilient innings, the hosts struggled to cope with the mounting required run rate. Washington Sundar further dented their hopes by dismissing Wiaan Mulder and crucially removing Aiden Markram with a well-executed catch behind the stumps.
Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan joined the bowling assault, picking off key wickets, including David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen. South Africa’s innings crumbled from 131 for 3 to 192 for 7, and Arshdeep’s four-wicket haul, complemented by Washington’s disciplined bowling, sealed India’s victory.
SA vs IND 3rd ODI Report: Score Summary
India
296 for 8 (Samson 108, Tilak 52, Hendricks 3-63)
South Africa
218 (de Zorzi 81, Markram 36, Arshdeep 4-30)
India by 78 runs
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