Sanju Samson creates history with his consecutive T20I century

Indian cricketer Sanju Samson created history by scoring his second T20I century as the right-handed batter recorded the T20I centuries in consecutive innings. He became the first Indian cricketer and fourth overall batter to record T20I hundreds in successive innings. 

India are playing against the hosts South Africa in the four-match T20I series. In the opening game of the T20I series at Durban, South Africa chose to field first after winning the toss. Samson's powerful batting helped India to score 202/8 in 20 overs. 

Sanju Samson scored a 47-ball century

Opener Sanju Samson, who batted powerfully in his last T20I innings to score 111 runs against Bangladesh in the Hyderabad T20I last October, scored another century in the T20I series opener against South Africa. The right-handed batter completed his second T20I century in just 47 balls, which was the new record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian against South Africa. 

After scoring 107 off 50 balls, Samson was dismissed after Tristan Stubbs took a good catch at the deep mid-wicket as the leg-spinner Nqabayomzi Peter got the wicket in his name. In the latest century knock, the right-handed batter hit seven fours and ten sixes. 

Here are some crucial stats for Sanju Samson's batting:

• Samson became the first Indian batter to score T20I centuries in back-to-back innings.
• Samson became the fourth batter in T20I history to record centuries in back-to-back innings. The other three batters in this historic record book are Gustav Mckeon (France), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), and Phil Salt (England).
• After Rohit Sharma (5 centuries), Suryakumar Yadav (4 centuries), and KL Rahul (2 centuries), Samson became the fourth Indian to hit multiple T20I centuries. 
• Samson hit his fifth T20 century. He became the seventh Indian cricketer to record five or more T20 hundreds. 
• After Suresh Raina (101 in 2010 Gros Islet), Rohit Sharma (106 in 2015 Dharamsala), and Suryakumar Yadav (100 in 2023 Johannesburg), Samson became the fourth Indian batter to score a T20I century against South Africa. Samson also recorded the highest individual score by an Indian against South Africa in the T20I history. 
• Samson recorded the second-fastest T20I century against South Africa. The record is a 39-ball hundred by the Caribbean cricketer Johnson Charles at Centurion in 2023.     
• Samson hit 10 sixes in the innings. After Johnson Charles (11 sixes at Centurion in 2023) and Chris Gayle (10 sixes at Johannesburg in 2007), Samson became the third batter to hit 10 or more sixes in an T20I innings against South Africa. 
• Samson also equalled the record for most sixes by an Indian in a T20I innings. Previously, Rohit Sharma recorded 10 sixes against Sri Lanka in the 2017 Indore T20I. 

India scored 202/8, including 13 sixes

Although Samson batted powerfully, while captain Suryakumar Yadav (21) and Tilak Varma (33) provided him strong supports from other end, the Indian batting was controlled by the South African bowlers as the visitors managed 35 runs for five wickets in the last five overs. However, India's 202/8 was the second highest T20I total for India against South Africa in South Africa. The record is 203/5 in 2018 Johannesburg T20I. 

India hit 13 T20I sixes in the innings. After 2022 Delhi T20I (14 sixes) and 2022 Guwahati T20I (13 sixes), it was the third time when India hit 13 sixes in a T20I innings against South Africa. 

South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee took three wickets (3/37), while Marco Jansen was exceptional in the game (4-0-24-1).