Sanju Samson scripts history with second T20I hundred in a row
Sanju Samson completed the rare feat of two hundreds in a row in men's T20Is during the first match of the series against South Africa.
Sanju Samson smashed his second T20I hundred in as many games, putting the South African attack to sword at Kingsmead with some extraordinary hitting.
The wicketkeeper-batter, who had made 111 off 47 balls in the previous T20I he played against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, was in spectacular form from the get-go, racing to 35 off just 20 balls inside the Powerplay overs.
A hundred off just 47 balls 💯
— ICC (@ICC) November 8, 2024
Sanju Samson becomes the first Indian batter to make back-to-back T20I tons 🌟#SAvIND 📝: https://t.co/jWrbpilVUL pic.twitter.com/PIXnG2brq8
Samson continued to play his shots even after the field spread out, taking on Nqaba Peter for back-to-back sixes in the eighth over.
The onslaught continued through the middle overs as Samson moved into the nineties in the 13th over of the innings.
He completed his hundred off just 47 balls in the over, taking seven balls more for his ton than he did against Bangladesh in the previous game.
Samson became the first Indian batter to make back-to-back centuries in T20Is. Overall, only three batters have done it before.
Players with back-to-back T20I hundreds
| Player | Century 1 | Century 2 | Year |
| Gustav McKeon (France) | 109 v Switzerland | 101 v Norway | 2022 |
| Rilee Rossouw (South Africa) | 100* v India | 109 v Bangladesh | 2022 |
| Phil Salt (England) | 109* v West Indies | 119 v West Indies | 2023 |
| Sanju Samson (India) | 111 v Bangladesh | 107 v South Africa | 2024 |
India went on to beat South Africa comprehensively and gain a 1-0 lead in the series.
Post the game, Samson revealed that the confidence given by skipper Suryakumar Yadav had helped him perform well.
"While I was playing Duleep Trophy, Surya came to me and told 'you are going to open for India in the next 7 matches, no matter how much you score'. He was the one who gave me assurance, this kind of trust from captain gives you extra confidence," Samson said.
“When you have a supporting captain like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam bhai [Gambhir] and VVS Laxman sir, they all support you during failures. I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on.
“[They told me] you collect all the spinners in Kerala and practice on rough wickets there. So if your Indian team’s captain is calling you and telling you how to practise after a duck, then you have confidence that the captain is trusting you."