Daily Times

Sanju Samson slammed a second successive Twenty20 international century to set up a 61-run win for India in the first of four matches against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday.

Opening batter Samson hit 10 sixes and seven fours in a spectacular innings of 107 off 50 balls in an Indian total of 202-8.

It proved more than enough. Leg-spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi bowled in tandem and took three wickets apiece as South Africa crumbled to 141 all out.

Samson vowed to “keep my feet on the ground” after “10 long years of international cricket” during which he has been unable to nail down a regular place in Indian white-ball teams.

His only two previous international centuries have come in the past 12 months — 108 in a one-day international against South Africa last December and 111 in a T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad last month.

“I was in a zone, I just wanted to go with the flow,” he told SuperSport television after his innings, which ended with a leaping catch by Tristan Stubbs on the deep midwicket boundary as he tried to hit another six off leg-spinner Nqaba Peter.

Indian opening bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan both took early wickets in South Africa’s reply before Chakravarthy and Bishnoi bowled immaculately in unbroken four-over spells. They tied down South African stars Heinrich Klaasen (25) and David Miller (18) before both were dismissed in the space of three balls by Chakravarthy going for big hits.