Sanju Samson on Friday became the first Indian batter in the history of T20I cricket to score consecutive centuries. The 29-year-old Kerala batter followed his 111 against Bangladesh at Hyderabad with a stellar hundred against South Africa at the Kingsmead stadium in Durban.
Striking at 214, Sanju's hundred against the Proteas came from 47 balls -- the fastest in the format against South Africa ever by an Indian. The wicketkeeper batter, who is the captain of IPL side Rajasthan Royals, blasted nine sixes and seven boundaries to get to the second century of his T20I career. He smashed the two biggest sixes of the innings -- sending the ball 96m and 93 m respectively. After reaching the 50-run mark in 27 balls, Samson became more aggressive, ruthlessly attacking both seamers and spinners alike.
Sanju Samson made life hell for South African spinners led by his RR teammate Keshav Maharaj before being dismissed for a 50-ball 107. He was caught by a jumping Tristan Stubbs while trying to smash young Nqaba Peter for consecutive sixes in the sixteenth over. By the time his swashbuckling innings came to an end, he had managed 10 sixes and seven fours!
Sanju Samson, often criticised for not using most of his opportunities and not showing justice to his extraordinary talent, finally seems to have found his rhythm. Under Suryakumar Yadav, the right-hander seems to have sealed his spot in the team.