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Sanju Samson breathed a sigh of relief as he struck his maiden One Day International century during the third ODI against South Africa at the Boland Park stadium in Paarl on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
Samson, who made his ODI debut in 2021, has found it tough to cement his place in the Indian team. And making the most of the opportunity, the wicketkeeper-batter struck ended his wait for his maiden one-day ton.
Samson, who scored 108 off 114 balls, reached the coveted three-figure mark in 110 balls. Coming into bat at No. 3, Samson stamped his class with a classy knock as he repaid the faith the selectors showed in him.
The right-hander's knock was peppered with six boundaries and three fours.
Bringing up his century in the 44th over with a quick single off Keshav Maharaj, Samson flexed his muscles to celebrate his maiden ton.
Flexing his biceps, Samson pointed to the Indian dressing room as his team-mates and coaching staff cheered him on.
'I feel really emotional, going through the emotions now. I am very happy to achieve this. I have been putting in a lot of work, both physically and mentally, and I am happy to see the results go my way now,' Samson said during the mid-innings break.
'They bowled really well with the new ball, and the older ball was getting slower and more difficult to bat. So after KL (Rahul) got out, Maharaj was bowling very well. We were playing an extra all-rounder today, but me and Tilak (Varma) decided that we had to go hard from the 40th over onwards,' he added.
Prior to Thursday's knock against South Africa, Samson's top score in the ODI format was an unbeaten 86 against the same opponent in Lucknow in 2022.
After India lost debutant Rajat Patidar in the fifth over and Sai Sudharsan in the eighth over, Samson pulled it around for the visitors alongside Rahul.
The pair added 52 off 68 before India lost their skipper.
Tottering at 101 for 3, Samson and Tilak Varma put up a solid partnership, scoring 116 off 136 for the fourth wicket.