“Sanju has been phenomenal performer in IPL, unfortunately hasn’t got…”: KL Rahul on Samson after series win over SA

Paarl [South Africa], December 22 (ANI): After India clinched an ODI series victory against South Africa, captain KL Rahul hailed the performance of Player of the Match Sanju Samson for his outstanding century against Proteas and said that he is pleased to see the batter perform well against Proteas even though he hasn’t got a lot of chances at the top of the batting order.

Sanju Samson’s wonderfully paced ton and Rinku Singh’s powerful cameo followed by Arshdeep Singh’s blistering spell helped India clinch a three-match ODI series against South Africa, registering a 78 runs win over Proteas in the third match here at Boland Park on Thursday.

“Sanju has been a phenomenal performer in the IPL, unfortunately, hasn’t got a lot of chances at the top of the order for various reasons but nice to see him do well today,” KL Rahul said in a post-match presentation.

India’s young brigade performed well in all departments and helped Men in Blue clinch an ODI series 2-1 after a thoroughly convincing victory in the final match.

“Always love being around the boys. Nice to get back on the cricket field after a disappointing world cup. Have played with a lot of them in the IPL, nice to get out here and play with them. Usually my message is to always enjoy the game, to give your best and not worry about the rest. They’re great cricketers but few of them haven’t played internationally so it’s about giving them some time to adjust. It’s about making their roles clear and they all gave their 100% so nothing more I can ask,” Rahul added.

Tony de Zorzi scored the highest for South Africa with 81 off 87 while captain Aiden Markram played a knock of 36 runs. For India Arshdeep Singh was the chief destructor as he bagged 4 wickets conceding just 30 runs while Washington Sundar returned with a figure of 2-38.

After India’s commanding victory in the series-opener, Proteas turned the tables around and registered an 8-wicket win in the second ODI at Gqeberha, however, Men in Blue made a stunning comeback in the series decider to win the third and final ODI by 78 runs.

This is the second time India defeated Proteas at their home in a bilateral series before this Men in Blue registered a 5-1 series victory over South Africa in 2018. With this win, KL Rahul became only the second Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa after Virat Kohli (2018).