‘Maximum utilisation of my current form’: Samson after scoring successive T20I tons

Durban: India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said he is utilising the best of his current form after scoring the second consecutive T20I century in the series opener against South Africa on Friday. Samson, who opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma, slammed 107 off 50 balls studded with 10 sixes and seven fours to steer India to 202/8 in 20 overs after being put to bat first at Kingsmead in Durban. The 29-year-old has been on the rise since replacing India captain Rohit Sharma as an opener in the format after his retirement from the format following the T20 World Cup title win. In the last T20I he played before the Proteas clash, Samson hammered 111 in Hyderabad in the final T20I against Bangladesh last month. With a ton in Durban, the right-handed batter became the first Indian batter to smash back-to-back centuries in T20Is. Overall, only three batters have done it before. “Really enjoyed my time in the middle. Playing it well, maximum utilisation of my current form you can say,” Samson said in the post-match presentation. The opening batter, who has been recently promoted to the role in the Indian team, elaborated that the change in intent has worked for him. “The intent, we have been talking about being aggressive and keeping the team ahead of yourselves. Once you play three-four balls you are looking for the boundary, I’m not thinking much, sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t, happy it worked out well today,” he said. In reply to India’s 203-run target, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi scalped three wickets each to bundle out the hosts for 141 to snatch a comfortable 61-run win. With early 1-0 in hand, Samson revealed the importance of having an edge over a solid South African side. “It was very crucial, knowing the home advantage South Africa has, they are a gun side and it was important to start the series well. Happy that we started with a win,” the wicketkeeper said. The second T20I of the four-match series will be played in Gqeberha on Sunday. –IANS