Samson enters the history books after a 107-run blitzkrieg in the series opener against South Africa

As the new era dawns following the retirement of star players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Samson has taken on the role of the next big thing and is bearing the brunt of taking Indian cricket to new heights.

Samson found his purple spot under the new landscape at just the right moment. After a disappointing performance in the first two T20Is against Bangladesh, Samson repaid the trust entrusted to him.

Samson upped the ante in the third T20I, hitting 111 against Bangladesh, which marked the start of his fiery form.

On Friday, in the series opener against South Africa, Samson set Durban on fire with his blitzkrieg. He smoked the ball beyond the boundary, hit massive sixes and smashed 107, peppered with seven fours and a whopping 10 maximums.

After his heroics, Samson joined the exclusive club of cricketers who hit multiple centuries in consecutive innings. Before Samson, Gustav Mckeon, Rilee Rossouw and Phil Salt achieved the feat.

The 29-year-old's 107 is the highest individual score in a T20I between India and South Africa. He eliminated David Miller's unbeaten 106 in Guwahati in 2022. His solo effort gave India a mammoth score of 202/8.

Samson felt he was in the zone where runs were automatic while relying on his intent to hit the ball that was meant to be hit.

“I was in a zone, it was flowing automatically, so I let it flow.” [what is intent for you?] It's actually a good question: If the ball is there to be hit, then shoot it. Concentrate on one ball at a time, it helps. The wicket plays a big role here, there is more bounce and coming from India we take the time to understand the wicket. “There is a strong wind blowing from one end and their bowlers bowled very well, our bowlers would also like to emulate it,” Samson said after the end of the first innings.

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