India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson gave a befitting reply to his critics as he scored his maiden international hundred during the third and final ODI against South Africa in Paarl on Thursday.
Samson reached the triple figures off 108 balls with the help of six boundaries and a couple of towering sixes at the Boland Park stadium.
Samson finally shows his worth
Playing his 16th ODI, Samson celebrated the landmark century by raising his arms and then flexing his muscles in the direction of the Indian team dressing room. He had Rinku Singh for company in the middle when he reached the landmark.
Samson was involved in two big partnerships with captain KL Rahul and Tilak Varma which helped him set the pace for his innings and also bailed India out of troubled waters after they were reduced to 49 for 2 by the 8th over.
Samson then added 52 with Rahul (21) for the third wicket and 116 runs with Varma (52), who also scored his maiden international fifty for the Men in Blue.
Paarl crowd stands up for Samson
Samson mixed caution with aggression during the initial phase of his knock before taking the attack to the opposition.
Samson's reply to critics and trollers
He was eventually dismissed by Lizaad Williamson for 108 off 114 balls while trying to up the ante in the death overs. India's scored at the time of Samson's dismissal was 246 5 in 45.3 overs.
Proteas players came up to Samson to congratulate him on his innings while his own teammates and fans at the stadium gave him a standing ovation as he made his way to the Indian dressing room.
This was the perfect reply to his critics and trollers who had been slamming the 29-year-old for his repeated failures with the bat in international cricket.
Samson reflects on emotion century
"Feels interesting, just going through with it. Feels an emotional one. There's been a lot of work I've been putting in physically and mentally over the past year.
"They bowled well with the new ball, as the ball got older it was getting difficult to bat. But we got momentum through my partnership with Tilak," Samson said at the mid-innings break.
