Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma survive Jansen jitters

In a dramatic start to the fourth T20I between India and South Africa at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg Indias Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma narrowly escaped early dismissals in the opening over thanks to missed and dropped catches from South African fielders Both Samson and Sharma were given a reprieve in consecutive deliveries due to missed and dropped catches which could have potentially derailed Indiarsquos inningsOn the third ball of Jansenrsquos opening over Samson who had narrowly avoided a third consecutive duck was tested with a full wide crossseamer that angled away from him He pushed at it and got an outside edge but the ball flew narrowly wide of the first slip It was a close call but luck was on his side and he survived to fight another ballThe very next delivery saw Sharma facing a similar fate Jansen bowled a full and fastball outside off stump and Sharma attempted to drive it but ended up getting a thick outside edge The ball flew rapidly towards the first slip where Reeza Hendricks positioned to take the catch couldnrsquot react in time He attempted to snare it around his face but fumbled the sharp chance and Sharma too was given a reprieve Both batsmen were given a new lease of life and their fortunes were firmly in the hands of the fieldersIndia had opted to bat first after Suryakumar Yadav leading the side for the first time in the series won the toss Continuing the trend of batting first which had worked well for India in the earlier games the decision seemed to be a calculated one given the form of their batters In the previous match the Indians had been propelled by a stellar knock from Tilak Varma who made an emphatic statement at No3 with a remarkable unbeaten 107 off 56 ballsAlso ReadIPL 2025 mega auction 366 Indians Pant Iyer in IPL top bracket 13yearold Vaibhav youngestVarmarsquos maiden T20I century coupled with a key 337 from Arshdeep Singh had powered India to an 11run victory over South Africa in the third T20I at SuperSport Park giving India a 21 lead in the seriesThe third game had been a thrilling encounter with India fighting back after a narrow defeat in the second T20I where South Africa won by three wickets chasing down Indiarsquos total with some nervy finishing Earlier India had dominated the series opener winning by 61 runs in a comprehensive performance The series had now come down to the final match with India looking to seal the win and take a 31 leadThis match against South Africa was also a significant moment for the Indian team marking the end of a sensational year in T20I cricket India had dominated the shortest format not only winning the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in June but also amassing a staggering 24 wins out of 26 matches played throughout the year With such an impressive record Indiarsquos T20I campaign had been one of the most successful in recent memory and the team was eager to cap off the year with another victory rounding off a memorable run in T20 cricket