‘Showed Why He Has...,’- RCB Star Lauds Samson For His Stellar Show In ODI Decider Vs SA
Samson smashed his maiden international hundred in Paarl. (AP Photos)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik showered rich praise on Sanju Samson, who recently scored his maiden international century in Paarl, saying that there is a good reason why he receives lots of love and affection from a lot of people.
After facing backlash for his poor show in the second ODI, Samson responded with an outstanding century in the crucial third ODI, contributing to India's series victory. The Kerala-born batter smashed 108 runs after South Africa opted to bowl. Samson's stellar innings of 108 off 114 balls in the series decider earned him the Player of the Match award, marking his first international century. The right-handed batter hit six fours and three sixes as the Men in Blue posted a total of 296/8 after being put in to bat by the Proteas.
DK underscored Samson's match-winning contribution in the series decider, particularly his crucial 52-run partnership with KL Rahul after India's early setback. Karthik lauded Samson's ability to absorb pressure during the middle overs, showcasing strategic play alongside Tilak Varma.
"Sanju Samson has been in the Indian team for many years, not been part of many multi-nation tournaments. World speaks highly of him, he has the amount of supporters that biggest players have, the love and affection of a lot of people. And he showed today why he has that," Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
"In a series decider, gets his opportunity at No. 3, which he is very comfortable with, comes in, takes on the pressure, stitches a 52-run partnership with KL Rahul, but it was after that, that was very, very good what he did. In the 19th over, when KL Rahul fell to Wiaan Mulder, Samson and Tilak Varma really soaked the pressure between 19–35 overs. They were not getting boundaries at that stage."
Samson and Tilak’s 116-run partnership in the latter part of the innings ensured a challenging target for the Proteas. Despite Tilak struggling early in his innings to adapt to bounce and seam movement of the Paarl wicket, the duo accelerated in the final overs, securing crucial boundaries. Karthik praised Samson's calculated approach, avoiding excessive risks while capitalizing on opportunities. Underlining Samson's excellence under pressure, Karthik affirmed that the innings proved once again why Samson is regarded as a top-quality player.
"They stitched a 116-run partnership, and the last 60 runs came in the final 6-7 overs, when they started to hit boundaries. Samson made sure did not take too many risks as he knew he could make up for it later in the match. Sanju Samson, under pressure, showed why he is such a good player," Karthik further added on the batter.
Coming to DK, the wicketkeeper-batter was recently seen in action for his state team, Tamil Nadu. He will next be seen in action in next year's IPL, where he will turn up for RCB, who surprisingly retained the 38-year-old.
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