Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Sanju Samson's hundred vs South Africa in 3rd ODI ft. Gautam Gambhir

Sanju Samson smashed a classy century in tough conditions as India beat South Africa in the 3rd ODI to win the three-match series 2-1. He shone bright with a knock of 108 off 114 balls, which included six fours and three sixes. This is only the second time India have won an ODI series on South African soil.

The Kerala batter walked in to bat at 34/1, but soon saw his partner, Sai Sudharsan getting out when the scoreboard read 49/2. He stitched a 52-run partnership with captain KL Rahul, but the turning point of the match came when Tilak Verma came to the crease at 101/3 in the 19th over.

The Mumbai Indians batter took some time to settle, but later on helped India post a good total. Samson and Tilak stitched a 116-run stand for the fourth wicket before the latter was dismissed for a well-compiled 52. India scored 296/8 in 50 overs and won the match by 78 runs to claim the series 2-1.

This was Sanju Samson's first ODI century for India. His average in the format now reads 56.66, and his strike rate of 99.60 is also commendable. It could be the knock that gives Samson a long rope and eventually seals his place in the Indian setup.

Here is how the experts reacted to Sanju Samson's swashbuckling knock against South Africa in the 3rd ODI:

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#1 "Sanju Samson has kickstarted his international career with this knock": Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir strongly believes that this mark will give Sanju Samson the right boost to take his career to the next level. The former opening batter expressed his desire to see the Kerala batter given a long rope in ODIs going forward.

Gambhir opined on Star Sports:

"We all know how much talent Sanju Samson has. Not only us, everyone has spoken about it, the sort of knocks he has played in the IPL or T20 cricket. I believe he has kickstarted his international career with this knock."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added:

"He used to get intermittent chances before this but when you score a hundred, you push the selectors and put pressure on them to give you regular chances in ODI cricket."

The newly-appointed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor continued:

"It needs to be seen whether they will persist with Sanju Samson in ODI cricket because the next World Cup is after four years. However, the quality of player Sanju is, I believe he should definitely be persisted with."

Gambhir concluded:

"The way he keeps as well, you have an excellent option in the middle order. You will always have a heavy top order but Sanju gives you a middle-order option plus wicketkeeping. So I feel his international career has started again after this knock."

Gambhir was an important member of India's World Cup-winning teams in 2007 and 2011. The side might just need someone like Sanju Samson to deliver them their first World Cup since Gambhir scored that match-winning 97 in Wankhede 12 years ago.

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#2 "I think this hundred is going to change his career" - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar also reckons that Sanju Samson's career is going to change for the better after the 3rd ODI against South Africa. The legendary Indian batter thinks that Samson's self-belief will increase now that he has scored his first century in ODI cricket.

The former opener said on Star Sports:

"I think this hundred is going to change his career. One, he will get more opportunities because of this hundred. Secondly, I think he will also start to believe in himself more that he belongs to this level."

The Mumbai cricketing icon further stated:

"Sometimes you know you are there, but the luck is not with you and things like that. You get a tremendous delivery, great catches all these things can actually make you doubt whether you actually belong there.

"The standout for me from this innings was his shot selection. In the past, he has gotten out despite getting starts. Today, you couldn't fault him at all. He was biding his time, waiting for the bad ball, and then getting a hundred."

Gavaskar signed off:

"This century will make him believe he belongs here. He has always belonged here, mind you. We all know the talent he has. But somehow he had not delivered, but, today, he delivered, not just for everybody but for himself as well."

Sunil Gavaskar was the first player to score more than 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He held plenty of records in the format before they were broken by Sachin Tendulkar.

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#3 “We have been waiting for this moment for many years”: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar labeled Sanju Samson as the find of the ODI series against South Africa due to the way he batted in the 3rd ODI. The cricketer-turned-commentator gave Samson credit for learning to adapt his game according to the situation.

The former India batter told ESPNcricinfo:

“Sanju Samson was the biggest find of the series for India because we have been waiting for this moment for many years. He came into bat in the fourth [fifth] over and reached his 100 in the 44th over. That was the requirement of the team. Those who have been skeptical of Samson were expecting something like this from him."

The 58-year-old added:

"It was a very impressive innings because the other things are there. If he had scored an 80-ball hundred, I would have said well done. But this is more than that because you have now have long-term hope from him."

Speaking on Sanju Samson's versatility, Manjrekar stated:

“The way he played today, it looks like No. 3 will suit him, but it is crowded over there - in the top three. If someone has the temperament and the ability to change their game as per team needs, such a batter is very important for the side."

He concluded:

"It seems like he can play anywhere in the middle-order, do the finishing role as well. His confidence will be high now and, if there is vacancy, then they can definitely play him."

Like Sanju Samson, Manjrekar was also a batter who had supreme talent and relied on his timing. However, Manjrekar wasn't able to fulfill his maximum potential. While this has been the case with Samson so far, this knock could be the turning point in his career.

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#4 "This knock was important for Sanju as it came overseas": Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra thought Sanju Samson showed immense technique in his 108-run knock against South Africa at Boland Park. However, he thinks that the Kerala batter will have to bat lower down the order if he wishes to be a mainstay in the Indian team.

Speaking on his show, Aakashvani on on JioCinema, the former cricketer said:

"Sanju Samson's century didn't just include the big shots; he showed great technique. He walked in early to bat due to the early wicket, but he was batting right till the end. Tilak Verma is an investment for the future and he scored a good half-century. Rinku Singh also scored runs at the end. 296 runs on the board was always going to be a lot."

One viewer asked Aakash Chopra a question:

"Does scoring a century overseas help in regular selection in the squad? Will it help Samson's case?"

The cricketer-turned-commentator responded:

"This knock was important for Sanju as it came overseas. He is only being selected in the format which is not very important. ODI is not valuable now so he is being played. When T20I won't be valuable, then he will be given chances there. Scoring a century at number 3 in a place like South Africa should mean that the selectors start taking Sanju more seriously from now on."

He continued:

"But the problem is that Virat Kohli is the obvious choice at number 3, and he still has a few good years ahead of him. If Sanju has to do well, he will have to bat lower down the order. His chances to get into the side at the top of the order are very slim."

Aakash Chopra has over four million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He is the go-to source of content related to Indian cricket for many people due to his valuable insights.

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#5 "Sanju Samson, quite the man under pressure, showed why he is such a good player": Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik was extremely impressed by Sanju Samson's century against South Africa in the 3rd ODI in Paarl. The veteran keeper applauded both Samson and Tilak Verma for being calm under pressure and changing gears when required.

He said on Cricbuzz's 3rd ODI review video:

"It was Sanju Samson's day completely. He got a hundred and really showed the world why they speak about him and back him. He is a terrific cricketer, who showed the world why he is so good under pressure. In a series decider, it is important to bring out the goods."

The wicketkeeper batter added:

"It was a tricky pitch and not easy to bat on, but he showed composure in his batting. Tilak Verma yet again showed why he has the skillset. There was a very tricky phase for Samson and Tilak Verma to bat through, which they did beautifully."

Selecting Sanju Samson as the "Key performer of the day," he opined:

"It has to be Sanju Samon, a man who has been part of Team India for a long time but not made it to many of the multi-nation tournament squads. The world speaks highly of him. He has got the amount of supporters that some of the biggest cricketers have; the love and affection of a lot of people. It showed today why he has that."

Karthik continued on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain:

"In a series decider, he gets his opportunity at number 3, which is something he is very comfortable at. He comes in, takes on the pressure, bats beautifully, stitches a 52-run partnership with KL Rahul. But it was after that which was very good what he did. Him and Tilak Verma really absorbed pressure between overs 19 and 35. It was very tough as they weren't getting boundaries."

The 38-year-old further said:

"In the modern day game, if you tell batters to hit boundaries, it comes to them more naturally, much more easily. But if you tell them to play this phase without taking any risks, that is very hard for them, and both these batters did that beautifully."

Karthik went on:

"They stitched a 116-run partnership, but the last 60 runs came in the last 6-7 overs when they started to hit boundaries and we know how comfortable they can be doing that. But in the first ten overs of that partnership, that is when they showed their class.

"Sanju Samson went through that phase in different gears, but mostly in second or third gear without taking too many risks. He knew that he can make it up in the end and that's what they did."

Karthik concluded:

"Sanju Samson batted beautifully for his maiden ODI hundred and you can see the smile on his face, the team's face, and plenty of faces around India who have backed him. Sanju Samson, quite the man under pressure, showed why he is such a good player."

Dinesh Karthik will be playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2024. The wicketkeeper batter is still going strong and will be key to RCB's chances of making it to the playoffs. He has also started commentating and analyzing the game during his time off from cricket.