Samson's maiden ODI ton, Varma's patient fifty lead India to 296 for 8 against SA
Paarl (South Africa), Dec 21: Sanju Samson carved a well-measured maiden ODI hundred as India posted a challenging 296 for eight against South Africa in the series-deciding third match here on Thursday.
Samson (108 off 114 balls) found a perfect sidekick in the patient Tilak Varma, who struck his first ODI fifty (52 off 77 balls), as they milked 116 precious runs for the fourth-wicket to place India in a position to win this series.
Samson and Varma came together when India were slightly wobbling at 101 for three after being asked to bat first.
But the pair showed excellent situational awareness.
Their partnership was all about pragmatism without letting go of any opportunity to unfurl any big shot.
Usually a free-flowing hitter, Samson shelved his macho intentions for a large part of his innings, concentrating on singles and twos as the Boland Park pitch also had this slight bite on it.
But the right-hander intermittently brought out his T20 avatar into play like when he smashed pacer Nandre Burger for a big six over mid-wicket or while executing an exquisite inside-out loft over cover off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for a four.
His fifty came off 66 balls with a single to third man off pacer Beuran Hendricks.
But at the other end, Varma generally struggled for flow as he could find a boundary only in his 39th ball, a scratchy pull off Hendricks.
However, the left-hander gave company to Samson to take India out of the woods.
Finally, Varma fell in his venture to accelerate, a miss-timed sweep off Maharaj ending in the hands of Wiaan Mulder in the deep.
But Samson carried on and was not to be denied a hundred this time.
The landmark moment for him came when he pushed Maharaj to long-off for a single as the dressing room went on its feet to applaud a fine dig.
Samson was dismissed as he tried to up the ante as a skier off pacer Lizaad Williams was snaffled by Reeza Hendricks inside the rings.
However, a good cameo by Rinku Singh (38 off 27 balls) helped India motor on in the end phase of the innings.
But before India made that good fightback, the Proteas bowlers had them on the ropes taking three wickets.
Debutant Rajat Patidar, who stepped in for an injured opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was a treat to watch during his 16-ball 22, exhibiting wonderful eye-hand coordination.
But Burger's lovely in-dipper that disturbed the stumps snapped his stay and Hendricks trapped Sai Sudharsan in front of the wicket with a delivery that was angled into him from over the wicket.
KL Rahul helped Samson add 52 runs for the third wicket but the Indian captain's effort to pull Mulder resulted in a catch to stumper Heinrich Klaasen after the ball took a deflection off his thigh pads.
However, India found two willing soldiers in Samson and Varma who effected an escape.
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
