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The impact was hard as the girl was in tears with a fellow spectator holding an ice pack on her cheek.
Sanju Samson apologises to the fan who gets hit by the ball
Sanju Samson scripted history on Friday with a third century against South Africa, helping India win the final T20I by 135 runs in Johannesburg. While the men in blue clinched the 4-match series 3-1, Sanju became the first player in the history of T20Is to smash three centuries in a calendar year. He is now only the second batter, after England’s Phil Salt, in the world to notch two hundreds in a T20I series.
Sanju, along with Tilak Varma, was on a six-hitting spree on Friday. The duo collectively smashed 19 sixes in their unbeaten 210-run partnership for the second wicket. While Tilak smashed 10 maximums, Sanju tonked 9 during his stay in the middle.
One of Sanju’s sixes went on to hit a spectator at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. The incident happened in the second ball of the 10th over when the wicketkeeper-batter slog-swept Tristian Stubbs’ tossed for a second consecutive six. The ball comfortably cleared the ropes but bounced off the stadium railing to hit flush on the face of a young girl who was standing a few meters away from the ropes.
The impact was hard as the girl was in tears with a fellow spectator holding an ice pack on her cheek. After realizing that someone was hurt in the stands, Sanju immediately raised his hand and apologized to the lady.
Samson’s unbeaten hundred followed his 107 in the series opener in Durban, further cementing his reputation as one of India’s most dynamic T20I players. This also marked the first time in men’s T20I cricket history that two players scored centuries in the same innings in a match between full ICC members.
Samson now holds the distinction of having the third-most T20I centuries (three) by an Indian, surpassing KL Rahul’s two. Only Rohit Sharma (four) and Suryakumar Yadav (three) have reached similar heights in the format. His performance comes during a purple patch, with all three of his centuries coming in his last five T20I innings. He also had back-to-back zeroes in the second and third T20I of the series.
Samson’s exploits were complemented by a stellar century from Tilak Varma, who scored his second consecutive T20I hundred in the series. Varma’s explosive 102 came off just 50 deliveries, including ten sixes and nine fours.
- Location :
Johannesburg, South Africa
