Team India's narrow loss in the first ODI at Lucknow against South Africa left them trailing the series 0-1 as Temba Bavuma's side gave a good account of themselves. Sanju Samson's unbeaten 86-run knock went in vain as the Proteas won by 9 runs to it back-to-back wins against the Men in Blue.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to bowl first after the start of the contest was delayed due to rain and the match had to be reduced to 40 overs per side.
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The Proteas got off to a steady start as Quinton de Kock continued his rich vein of form by scoring 48 runs in 54 balls. Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 74-run knock, alongside David Miller's masterful 75-run inning, ensured that the visitors finished on top by putting up a mammoth total of 249/4.
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In reply, the Men in Blue could only muster up 240 runs in their respective 40 overs, with Samson top-scoring for India, and Shreyas Iyer's fifty, followed by Shardul Thakur's 33-run inning took them ever so close to the required 250-run target.
Even though Team India fell short by just nine runs, fans were in a jolly mood as they flooded Twitter with memes related to Sanju Samson's knock and India's close defeat.
Check how fans reacted:
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While Sanju Samson's knock left fans divided, the hosts will have to pull up their socks and win the remaining two ODI if they are to win the ODI series.
The second match of the series will take place at Ranchi on Sunday, October 9.
