Centurion: Following his remarkable unbeaten 107-run contribution against South Africa in the third T20I match of the series, Tilak Varma has achieved the distinction of becoming the second youngest Indian player to score a century in men's T20Is.
Tilak Varma amassed 107 runs from 56 deliveries at an impressive strike rate of 191.07. He demonstrated exceptional skill by hitting eight fours and seven sixes during his innings for Centurion.
Tilak's T20I debut occurred in 2023 against the West Indies. He has participated in 18 T20 matches, scoring a total of 389 runs at a strike rate of 139.42.
Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the record for being the youngest Indian to score a century in men's T20Is.
Tilak also achieved the milestone of becoming the 12th batter to score a century for India in the T20 format. At the tender age of 22, his century was also the fifth for India against South Africa in T20Is, marking the most by any team against their opponent.
Following the decision to bat by the Indian team, the Proteas were initially put in a favorable position. However, Aiden Markram's decision did not yield the desired outcome as they were unable to establish successful partnerships.
South Africa initiated the game with an impressive start, with seamer Marco Jansen dismissing India's opening batsman Sanju Samson in the second ball of the match in Centurion.
In the aftermath of the first dismissal, Abhishek Sharma (50 runs from 25 balls, including three fours and five sixes) and Tilak Varma (107 runs from 49 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes) solidified a partnership of 107 runs, contributing significantly to the Men in Blue's score.
In the ninth over, Abhishek scored a half-century from 24 balls, only to be dismissed in the subsequent ball by Keshav Maharaj.
India concluded the first innings at 219/6, with Tilak Varma (107*) and Axar Patel (1*) the only batsmen to remain unbeaten at the crease.
Andile Simelane and Keshav Maharaj were instrumental in the Proteas bowling attack, each taking two wickets in their respective overs.
South Africa is now tasked with the challenge of scoring 220 runs to secure victory and maintain a lead in the series.
