South Africa pacer Marco Jansen dismissed India opener Sanju Samson for a duck for the second consecutive time in the third T20I of the four-match series at SuperSport Park, Centurion. After achieving the rare feat of scoring back-to-back T20I centuries in the first match in Durban, Samson was unable to replicate that form.
He was out for a three-ball duck in the second T20I and a two-ball duck in the third, with Jansen removing him in the first over on both occasions. Jansen was visibly excited after claiming Samson’s wicket for the second time.
The delivery, pitched on a good length, saw Samson miss the ball completely, which then hit the top of the off-stump. You can watch the dismissal video here:
https://x.com/ranijat1991/status/1856715018362036455?s=46
With this dismissal, Samson set an unfortunate record, becoming the third player with the most ducks for India in T20Is, bringing his total to six. He now trails former T20 internationals Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have 12 and seven ducks, respectively.
https://x.com/sportskeeda/status/1856716987269062727?s=46
India’s top-order steadied the ship after an early setback
Despite losing Sanju Samson early on the second delivery of the match, opener Abhishek Sharma and No. 3 batter Tilak Varma steadied the innings and handled the pressure effectively.
After going scoreless from the first three balls of the opening over, Varma hit 12 runs off the next three deliveries. Abhishek Sharma then took control, hitting Gerald Coetzee for two fours and a six, as India scored 15 runs, including a wide, in the second over.
https://x.com/jiocinema/status/1856718512380604559?s=46
The pair maintained a solid scoring rate and ended the powerplay with 70 runs for the loss of one wicket. While it will be intriguing to see how much the Indian batters can accumulate on the fast-paced surface, it will be even more fascinating to observe how they defend the total on this high-scoring pitch.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.