Watch: Suryakumar Yadav Takes On Marco Jansen In Passionate Defence Of Sanju Samson

There never goes by a moment when India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav doesn’t have a smile on his face. However, during a tense moment on the field in the first T20I against South Africa, Suryakumar donned his angry avatar while trying to defend wicket-keeper Sanju Samson. Suryakumar engaged in an intense debate with South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen after the latter expressed his displeasure over Samson’s act of stepping onto the pitch time and again. Even the India wicket-keeper had to join the face-off between Jansen and Surykumar in the middle of the pitch on Friday.

The incident took place before the third ball of the 15th over was bowled. Jansen, seemingly, wasn’t happy to see Samson collecting the ball after stepping onto the pitch and complained about the same.

Suryakumar then pointed out that Samson also wasn’t happy as was not being allowed to catch the ball because of Jansen who kept coming in the way. The India captain engaged in a argument with both Jansen and his partner Gerald Coetzee in the middle to cool the matter down.

Surya also had to explain the matter to the on-field umpires Lubabalo Gcuma and Stephen Harris.

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— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) November 8, 2024

Heated moment between Surya Kumar Yadav and Marco Yansen #SuryakumarYadav #INDvsSA #sanju_samson #sANJUSAMSAN #SAvIND #PAKvsAUS #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/34pkanFMjV

— Sports Shastra (@SportShastra) November 8, 2024

Samson was the hero of the match as the Indian team put a gigantic total of 202/8 on the board, courtesy of a second successive T20I hundred from the wicket-keeper batter. Chsing the target of 203 runs, South Africa were bowled out for 171.

After the game, Suryakumar doffed his hat to Samson, who has been working hard over the last 10 years to gain the sort of recognition he is now getting. 

“The amount of hard work he has put in over the last few years, doing the boring work, he is eating the fruits of that. He was in the 90s but still he was looking for a boundary, playing for the team which shows the character of the man and that’s what we look for,” said Surya after the game.