Pleased for Sanju, says skipper KL Rahul

After India won the ODI series with a 78-run win over South Africa in the series decider at Boland Park, captain KL Rahul said he was pleased to see Sanju Samson perform well by scoring his maiden international century despite not getting a lot of chances of playing in the top-order. Samson, promoted to number three in the batting order, slammed his first century in international cricket via a fine 108, a mix of elegant strokeplay and rotating the strike while not losing his patience. His knock lifted the team to a competitive total of 296/8 in the first innings, and also shared a 116-run stand in 139 balls with Tilak Varma, who made 52, his first ODI fifty. “Pleased for Sanju, he’s been a phenomenal performer in the IPL over the years, and hasn’t gotten enough chances for different reasons. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to give him the chance at No. 3, because obviously there are stalwarts in the ODIs who occupy those key spots. Glad he was able to grab his chances here and capitalised on them,” said Rahul after the match ended. In 2022, Rahul captained the India ODI team which lost 3-0 to South Africa. Now, back in the country, he led the team to 2-1 ODI series triumph. “Love being around the boys, that’s how it’s been since I came over to South Africa after some time away following a disappointing World Cup final. Will celebrate with the boys and then switch back to focusing on the Test series in a day or two,” he added. Samson celebrated his maiden international century, which got him the Player of the Match award, by flexing his biceps on reaching the three-figure mark in 110 balls. He later on said that ODIs give him the ample time to build his innings, while praising Tilak for his support act. “Proud of it, specially considering the result as well. Have been working hard. This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket and the bowler’s mindset. Batting at the top of the order gives you those 10-20 extra deliveries.” “The wh