India vs South Africa: Last 3-4 months were mentally challenging ...

NEW DELHI: The last three to four months have been mentally taxing for India wicket-keeper batsman

Sanju Samson

, but he has persevered by improving himself and recovered to score his first-ever ODI century.
Despite Samson's stellar performance with an average of 55.7 at a strike rate of 104 in 13 ODI innings, selectors chose to go with players like

Ishan Kishan

and

Suryakumar Yadav

for the ODI World Cup in India.

"The last three, four months were challenging for me mentally," Sanju said after the 78-run win on Thursday.
"So going through all that and coming here I think doing what I did today, I think I feel really happy and grateful."

Samson's lack of selection for the

Asian Games

further illustrates how low on the selectors' priority list he is.
But on Thursday, he took matters into his own hands and struck his first century in an ODI to help India defeat South Africa in the third game of the series at

Paarl

.
"I've been blessed in my genes. My father is also a sportsman, so how much ever setbacks you have, I think there's always no other way to come back and bounce back... think how much you can work on yourself and how you can come back more strongly," he added.

Samson, who was promoted to number three and scored a measured 108, teamed up with

Tilak Varma

(52) to help India reach a competitive total.
"Honestly, I think I was not looking at the scorecard. Until I had a partnership with Tilak till then I just wanted to play and like go with the merit. I just watched the ball and bat and the boundaries and the scoring options ultimately happened.
"So I was just focused on the process and playing one ball at a time and then I think the scorecard kept on ticking.
"When Tilak came in when we both had a tough four or five overs where I think (Keshav) Maharaj, was bowling the best. I think both the ends were a bit tight. That's when we thought that we need to go on and take some risks at the moment."
Asked how he kept his calm during the knock, Samson said, "I don't know actually. It comes very naturally to me.
"It's very important to make really good decisions. When you are calm and when you are aware of your thoughts, emotions of your physical being and mental being that helps me to make some really good decisions."

The home side looked on course for victory before the Indian pacers, led by left-armer

Arshdeep Singh

, bowled the South Africans out for 218 in 45.5 overs.
"I think the power-play, the way South African openers batted, I thought they are taking the game away five overs before.
"But after that when our fast bowlers came in between, and the ball I think was maintained nicely by all the teammates... the fast bowlers also hit some proper areas to get those crucial wickets of David (Miller) and crucial wickets were important for us."
(With PTI inputs)