India vs South Africa: After India defeated South Africa in the ODI series, captain KL Rahul praised Player of the Match Sanju Samson for his incredible century against the Proteas, saying he was happy to see the batsman perform well against the Proteas despite not having many opportunities at the top of the batting order. India defeated Proteas by 78 runs in the third match of the ODI series on Thursday at Boland Park, thanks to the amazing pace of Sanju Samson’s century, Rinku Singh’s potent cameo, and Arshdeep Singh’s blistering spell.
After the game, KL Rahul gave a speech. “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,” Rahul said. After winning the final game with overwhelming confidence, Men in Blue won the ODI series 2-1 thanks to the impressive performance of India’s young brigade in every area.
“I always enjoy hanging out with the boys. It’s good to be back playing cricket after a dismal world cup. It’s good to come out here and play with them because I’ve played with many of them in the IPL. Generally, I try to convey that you should always have fun, give it your all, and not worry about the outcome. Even though many of them haven’t played internationally, they are excellent cricket players, so it’s important to give them some time to adjust. There’s nothing more I can ask because everyone gave it their all and their roles were made clear,” Rahul continued.
With 81 off 87, Tony de Zorzi scored the most for South Africa, while captain Aiden Markram contributed a 36-run knock. Arshdeep Singh was India’s main destroyer, taking four wickets at a cost of just thirty runs, while Washington Sundar returned with a 2-38 figure. Proteas won the second ODI at Gqeberha by eight wickets after India’s convincing victory in the series opener. But in the series decider, Men in Blue produced an incredible comeback to win the third and final ODI by 78 runs.
Before the Men in Blue defeated South Africa 5-1 in the series in 2018, India had already defeated Proteas twice at home in a bilateral series. With this victory, KL Rahul joined Virat Kohli (2018) as the only other Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa.
