Sanju Samson produced a mesmerizing display of batting here at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday, smashing his third T20I century in the fourth match of the series against South Africa.
Coming close to the one-ball less over he had encountered in that magnificent knock the previous night, Samson once again rewrote the record books - perhaps in the same colour as many of his towering sixes, nine and six boundaries made in a knock of 109 not out off just 56 balls.
In doing this, Samson became the first batter in T20I history to score three centuries in a calendar year and only the second player after England's Phil Salt to smash two centuries in a bilateral T20I series.
After his 107 in the series opener in Durban, Samson's unbeaten hundred made him one of India's most dynamic T20I players. It was also the first time in the history of men's T20I cricket that two batsmen hit a century apiece in the same innings of a match between full ICC members.
And now, Samson also finds a place in the list of the top three Indians to score centuries in T20Is, with three to his name, bettering KL Rahul who had just managed two. Only Rohit Sharma with four and Suryakumar Yadav with three can be matched in this format, as his effort comes in a purple patch where all his three T20I hundreds have come in the last five innings that he has batted in the format. He has also had back-to-back zeroes in the second and third T20I of the series.
However, Samson's heroics were well complemented by a vintage century from Tilak Varma, who notched his second successive T20I hundred in the series. Varma's explosive 102 came off just 50 deliveries, which included ten sixes and nine fours.
Overall, Samson and Varma forged a monumental 210-run partnership for the second wicket, the highest stand in a T20I match between full ICC members.
Varma also got in the act alongside Samson to become only the second Indian to score centuries in successive T20Is. Their association actually enabled India to post a strong total of 284 in the series decider against South Africa.
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