Sanju Samson slammed a brutal century (107 off 50 balls) to power India to an emphatic 61-run victory over South Africa in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban on Friday (November 8).

Opening the innings, Samson launched a brutal assault on the Proteas bowlers right from the outset. The wicketkeeper-batter reached his half-century off 27 balls and took another 20 deliveries to notch up his three-figure mark.

With this knock, Samson became the first Indian and fourth batter overall to register back-to-back T20I hundreds. He also equalled the record of Rohit Sharma for the most sixes hit by an Indian batter in a Men's T20I innings.

After his match-winning exploits, Sanju Samson recalled his early struggles in international cricket, admitting that a string of failures made him doubt his ability, but self-belief and support of the captain and coach helped him make a strong comeback.

"I have faced a lot of failures in my career. I think when you go through that failure, you have lot of doubts in your mind. People definitely say that social media definitely plays a role," Samson told reporters in the post-match presser.

"But you also think a lot about yourself. Sanju, are you not made for international level? I think you are doing well in IPL. Why are you not doing well internationally? So I have a lot of such thoughts. But after so many years of experience, I know what my ability is.

"If I spend some time in the wicket, then I have a shot-making ability in spin and pace and I know that I can definitely contribute well to the team. I can win the match. This is also a reality. There are definitely a lot of downs happening but the upside is also really good. So I kept telling myself that," he added.

Since making his T20I debut in 2015, Samson had an inconsistent run at the highest level which saw the 29-year-old going in and out of the side. But under the Suryakumar Yadav-Gautam Gambhir regime, he seems to releasing his true potential with constant opportunities being given to him.

Samson acknowledged the crucial support he received from captain-coach duo during his low phase.

"When you have a supporting captain like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam bhai and VVS Laxman sir, they all support you during failures. The way they communicate with you in your failures is very important. Everyone knows that if we are going through a negative phase, then the player can get lost there," he said.

"So at that time, I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on. Your spin is a little bit like that. You collect all the spinners in Kerala and practice in rough wickets there. You do this, you do that.

"So if your Indian team's captain is calling you and telling you how to practice after a duck, then you have confidence that the captain is trusting you. He wants you to do well. So I think all those small, small things plays a huge role, I think, coming back here," Samson said.

"I'm very grateful about the trust shown on me. I think I've been able to give it back to my team management. I feel that it's just a start. I would like to just practice hard, train hard, just be very grateful walking out to play for my country and just look to contribute and win games for my country every time I walk in."

Samson’s innings propelled India to a formidable total of 202/8, setting the stage for a strong bowling performance.

Chasing the target, South Africa’s innings folded for 141 in 17.5 overs. It was a listless batting display as no one managed to touch the 30-run mark.

The spin twin of Varun Chakaravarthy (3-25) and Ravi Bishnoi (3-28) were the wrecker-in-chief with the ball for India, picking up three wickets each in their four overs.

"When you score 100 for your country, it's definitely a very special feeling. The wicket was a little more bounced, a little spongy in the beginning. It's been raining here for 3-4 days, so I think it was a bit more challenging condition," Samson said.

"So according to that, we are talking to the team and we are preparing accordingly. Even when it rained for 3-4 days, our team came here and practiced. We did batting for 2-3 hours, so it was a little beneficial."

Samson said they are determined to play an aggressive brand of cricket, irrespective of conditions, to live up to their reputation as world champions.

"What we have been talking in the dressing room from so many seasons right after winning the World Cup or even from last 2-3 years is even if you lose the toss and even the conditions are tough, we have to go all in.

"We can't think that we will have to look for something like 160-170 in these wickets because I think chasing becomes a bit easier. We were just looking to attack even knowing that the condition is slightly helping the bowlers," he said.

"We are definitely the world champions at the moment. So I think we have to play like that and just keep on looking to dominate in this format."

(With PTI Inputs)