Youngster Tilak Varma's century guides India to set a big target for South Africa

The youngster Tilak Varma’s powerful century guides India to score 219/6 at the end of the first innings of the Centurion T20I.

It is the third game of the four-match T20I series between the hosts South Africa and the visitors India. With the 1-1 series scoreline, South African captain Aiden Markram once again won the toss and chose to field first. 

While Tilak Varma scored 107 runs off 56 balls with the help of eight fours and seven sixes, India recorded their second-highest T20I total against South Africa. India’s highest T20I total against South Africa is 237/3 (20 overs) during the 2022 Guwahati T20I. 

Sanju Samson scored another duck

After scoring two centuries in his back-to-back T20I innings, Sanju Samson scored ducks in back-to-back T20I innings. While he scored a duck in three balls in the previous game, he was bowled for another duck in two balls in the third T20I of the series. 

Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma had a century partnership

Although the visitors were 0/1 in 0.2 overs, another opener Abhishek Sharma and the no.3 batter Tilak Varma handled the situation very well. They helped India to score 70/1 at the end of the powerplay. 

Sharma and Varma set a 107-run partnership for the second wicket before Sharma was stumped after scoring 50 off 25 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes. 

Captain Suryakumar Yadav (1) was dismissed early while Hardik Pandya (18) couldn’t bat longer despite a good start. 

Varma completed his fifty runs in 32 balls and then he thrashed the Proteas bowlers. Although Rinku Singh (8) couldn’t score many runs, he provided good support to Varma as they had a 58-run partnership for the fifth wicket. 

Debutant Ramandeep Singh impressed in short times by scoring 15 off just six balls. 

Varma became second youngest Indian cricketer to record T20I century

On the other hand, Varma strongly dominated against the South African bowlers. The left-handed batter completed his first T20I century in 51 balls. By scoring his first T20I century at the age of just 22 years and five days, he became the second youngest Indian cricketer to score a T20I century. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the record for the youngest Indian to score a T20I century with his 100 off 49 balls against Nepal at the age of 21 years and 279 days during last year’s Asian Games.