IND vs SA: Sanju Samson's 100 and 3-wicket hauls by Varun Chakaravarthy & Ravi Bishnoi send South Africa packing

What a start to the 4-match T20I series between India and South Africa! A comprehensive win for the Men in Blue as they maintain their strong record in Durban. This marks the 5th consecutive defeat for the Proteas in Durban—the most consecutive losses at a venue for them in T20Is, with their last win here coming in March 2016.

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After being asked to bat first, the visitors posted 202 runs in 20 overs and then bowled the hosts out for 141 runs in 17.5 overs, winning by 61 runs at Kingsmead Stadium. 

The visitors put on a terrific show, with Sanju Samson leading from the front. However, they managed just 40 runs from the last 6 overs as they lost wickets in quick succession towards the end. India were eyeing a total beyond 220 runs, but once the Sanju Samson-Tilak Varma partnership was broken, the innings lost momentum.

Sanju Samson showed exactly why he is here to stay, becoming the first Indian to score consecutive T20I centuries. He started well in the powerplay and finished with 107 off 50 balls, smashing 10 maximums and 7 fours. The other batters played around him, as he shared notable partnerships for the second and third wickets, both exceeding 50 runs.

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However, once Samson was dismissed, India's momentum faltered, and they had to settle for 202. Tilak Varma (33 off 18), Suryakumar Yadav (21 off 17), and Rinku Singh (11 off 10) were the other batters to reach double digits. For the hosts, Gerald Coetzee claimed three wickets, while Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter, and Patrick Kruger each took one.

In the chase, which India felt was manageable, South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals. Arshdeep Singh set the tone by dismissing Aiden Markram in the first over, and then the spinners took control. Both Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy claimed three wickets each, taking 6 wickets in 8 overs for just 53 runs. 

Coetzee hit some good shots, but he was run out by a strong throw from Suryakumar Yadav after a miscommunication with Maharaj. Avesh Khan then wrapped things up by bowling out Maharaj.

Teams:

South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

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