MUMBAI: Sanju Samson on Thursday scored a century against South Africa on a difficult batting pitch and won the player of the match award. Sanju, who made his debut in international cricket eight years ago, has never got continuous chances to play international cricket. Many former players came out to praise Sanju's century at Boland Park in Paarl. Among them, the most notable is that of legendary actor Sunil Gavaskar, who is generally a Sanju critic.

The biggest criticism Sanju Samson has faced is that despite being a talented player, he is unable to play a match-winning innings. Sunil Gavaskar has also criticized throwing away wickets by playing unnecessary shots as unfair to his talent. But he is now full of praise for Sanju Samson's century the other day.

“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. I think this hundred is going to change his career. One, he will get more opportunities because of this hundred,” Gavaskar said.

India were 101 for three after losing skipper KL Rahul's wicket. At this stage, Sanju Samson added 116 runs for the fourth wicket in a partnership with youngster Tilak Verma, which proved decisive in the match. Sanju hit 108 runs off 114 balls with three sixes and six fours.