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When AB De Villiers Predicted Sanju Samson's Big Performance Before Start Of SA Series

image-lqfa4zn4Sanju Samson in action against South Africa in third ODI (AP)

Sanju Samson rescued Team India after their early new-ball jolts against South Africa in the series-deciding third ODI at Paarl’s Boland Park. The cricketer formed fighting 50-plus partnerships with captain KL Rahul and number five Tilak Varma to register his maiden international hundred, after the ‘Men in Blue’ had lost both their openers cheaply inside the powerplay itself.

Back in November 2023, Samson was recalled back into India’s ODI setup for the series in South Africa, after he was sidelined from team’s high-profile Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023 tournaments. The wicketkeeper-batsman previously toured West Indies for a short white-ball series in July before making his return to the format for the South Africa tour.

Interestingly, all-time batting great AB de Villiers predicted Samson to come up clutch on South African surfaces after the latter received a callback to the international setup by the Indian selection committee.

When AB de Villiers predicted Samson to go big in SA

Mere days after Sanju Samson received his surprise callback to ODIs, former Proteas captain AB de Villiers predicted the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to come up good on South African surfaces. The legendary cricketer claimed that a batsman of Samson’s caliber would stand tall for the Indian team by successfully countering the extra bounce and seam movement in South Africa.

Taking to his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said:

“It's great to see Sanju Samson in the Indian team. He will enjoy the South African wickets. He stands tall when he bats. There's a bit of bounce and movement and all the batters will be tested. But someone like Sanju, I think will do well.”

Sanju Samson, despite making his ODI debut back in July 2021 with an away game against Sri Lanka, only played 13 ODIs for Team India before taking flight for South Africa in late 2023.

The perennial underachiever made his overall international debut back in July 2015, only to make sporadic appearances across both white-ball formats for the ‘Men in Blue’.