Durban, Nov 8: Sanju Samson scored a scintillating century as India inflicted a 61-run defeat on South Africa in the first T20I here on Friday.

Invited to bat, Samson blazed away to 107 off 50 balls, hitting as many as 10 sixes and seven fours to help India post 202 for 8.

The spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy (3/25) and Ravi Bishnoi (3/28) then shared six wickets between them to bowl out South Africa for 141 in 17.5 overs.

Earlier, Samson became the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is.

The opener notched his second T20I hundred off just 47 balls. His first had come in India's last outing against Bangladesh last month.

However, South Africa clawed their way back into the game as they stemmed the flow of runs by picking wickets in the last five overs.

Pacer Gerald Coetzee who claimed three wickets was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts.

Brief Scores:

India: 202 for 8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 107, Tilak Verma 33; Gerald Coetzee 3/37)

South Africa: 141 all out in 17.5 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 25; Varun Chakaravarthy 3/25, Ravi Bishnoi 3/28)

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Madikeri: A 62-year-old man was killed in a wild elephant attack in Sangayyapura village, under Ganaguru Gram Panchayat limits in Somwarpet taluk, triggering anger and concern among local residents.

The deceased has been identified as Ponnappa. According to officials, he was heading to his agricultural field for routine work when a wild elephant suddenly attacked him, killing him on the spot.

Following the incident, Assistant Conservator of Forests Gopal, Range Forest Officer Shailendra, Deputy Range Forest Officer Shravana Kumar, and forest staff including Eeranna, Venkatesh, Praveen Kumar, Ranjith and Vedamurthy visited the site. Officers from the Somwarpet Police Station, including the Circle Inspector, were also present. A case has been registered in connection with the elephant attack.

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Local residents expressed resentment over repeated wild elephant incidents in the area, stating that the situation had gone out of control. They urged forest authorities to take immediate and effective steps to prevent further loss of life.

As villagers protested and demanded concrete action, forest department officials assured them that measures such as installing a solar-powered fence would be taken up to reduce human-animal conflict in the region.