The last time India and South Africa played an ODI, Sanju Samson stole all headlines with a brilliant century

India and South Africa are gearing up to face off in a three-match ODI series after the Test series that left India in an embarrassing position. The Men in Blue’s sole next target is to win the ODI series by hook or crook so that they can get back on track and continue their preparation for the ICC World Cup 2027. However, given India’s current wobbly situation, it is hard to determine if it will emerge as the winner. Therefore, we went back to the last time India and South Africa played an ODI at Boland Park, on December 21, 2023.

Difference in India’s line-up

Back then, the Indian line-up comprised Rajat Patidar, Sai Sudharsan, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.

(Credit- The Indian Express)

For the upcoming match, India's predicted XI comprises Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshdeep Singh.

Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh are the only four players who are back again for another round of ODI against the Proteas.

KL’s captaincy

(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)

For the record, the last time India played an ODI series against South Africa, KL Rahul was the captain, and under his captaincy, India had won the series 2-1. This time, in the absence of injured Shubman Gill, KL Rahul has returned as the stand-in captain, and therefore, hopes will be high for him to repeat the feat.

India vs. South Africa

The Samson storm

(Credit- HT)

Batting first, India lost early wickets of Rajat Patidar and Sudharsan, but then came a storm by the name of Sanju Samson. Samson destroyed every South African bowler who got in his way, hitting left, right, and centre. However, his innings showed stability as he rotated the strike to avoid giving his wicket away easily. On the other end, batters such as Rahul, Varma, and Rinku made small contributions, ensuring support to Samson. Steadily, Samson made his century and, in the process, helped India score 296 runs.

The Singh show

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(Credit- Cricket Addictor)

In response, the majority of the South African batters couldn’t tackle the Indian bowling department, especially Arshdeep Singh, who grabbed four wickets in nine overs at an economy of 3.33. From South Africa, Tony de Zorzi was the only one to put up a fight with 81 runs, but the entire batting line-up ultimately succumbed to 218, handing India a 78-run victory.

This is the kind of performance India will aim to repeat because if not, many Indian players may find themselves out of the team, and even coach Gautam Gambhir’s contract could end early.