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SA vs IND, 3rd ODI | Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh Star In Decider As India Clinch Series

image-lqfjpcm8Sanju Samson celebrating his maiden ODI century (x.com)

Brief Scores: India: 296-8 (50 overs) [Sanju Samson: 108 (114), Tilak Varma: 52 (77); Beuran Hendricks 3/63 (9), Nandre Burger 2/64 (9)] defeated South Africa: 218 all out (45.5 overs) [Tony de Zorzi: 81 (87), Aiden Markram: 36 (41); Arshdeep Singh 4/30 (9), Washington Sundar 2/38 (10)] by 78 runs.

Team India mowed down South Africa at Paarl’s Boland Park in the third ODI to pocket their three-match series 2-1.

Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma lead India’s batting charge

After being put into bat first by South African skipper Aiden Markram, Indian debutant Rajat Patidar batted with much potential at the top while opening the innings with fellow newcomer Sai Sudharsan. Patidar thwarted South Africa’s in-form new-ball attack with three boundaries and a six until his 16-ball 22-run stay at the crease was halted by Nandre Burger.

His pace mate Beuran Hendricks accounted for Sudharsan’s wicket a while later, thus forcing Indian skipper KL Rahul to arrive early to the crease and join number three Sanju Samson for a potential recovery from 49-2. The two cricketers shared 52 runs for the third wicket, until Rahul’s dismissal at the hands of Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder enforced Samson to become the aggressor in his subsequent 116-run alliance with Tilak Varma.

Samson went on to conjure 108 runs from his end in just 114 deliveries to list his maiden international century, while Varma scored a cautious 77-ball 52 before he picked out Mulder at deep square leg off Keshav Maharaj during his attempted slog sweep.

Lower-order barbarian Rinku Singh bludgeoned 38 runs from just 27 balls in the death to elevate the Indian total to 296-8 from their 50 overs.

Among the South African bowlers, Hendricks added two more wickets to his tally in one of his return spells to finish with 3-63, while Burger snared Rinku in the final over to conclude his figures at 2-64.

Arshdeep, Washington mop up SA as India seals series

South African openers Reeza Hendricks and Tony de Zorzi, fresh from their match-winning 130-run stand at Port Elizabeth a couple of evenings ago, shared another 59 runs for the first wicket until the former was deceived by Arshdeep Singh’s away movement with the new ball.

Zorzi, meanwhile, top-scored in the innings with a counterattacking 81, and shared 65 runs with skipper Aiden Markram to take his side near the 150-run mark. Markram’s dismissal at the hands of Washington Sundar signalled Proteas’ middle-order collapse, as they stumbled from 141-2 to 192-7 in the space of 12 overs.

Speedsters Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar snared the key wickets of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller respectively, while Arshdeep removed both openers before mopping up the tail to finish with figures of 4-30.

Their collective efforts, coupled with three wickets between spinners Washington and Axar Patel helped India keep South Africa within 78 runs of their target.