Tilak Varma’s century helps India post close win over South Africa by 11 runs during 3rd T20I in Centurion

Indian cricket team took a 2-1 lead in the T20I series against South Africa and are assured of not losing the series with the win in the third T20I on Wednesday. The Men in Blue saw Tilak Varma come to the fore with the bat as he smashed his maiden international century. The talented batter was not out on 107 from a mere 56 balls as India posted 219/6 on the board. 

India lost their third toss in a row as they were inserted into the bat like in the previous two games. Sanju Samson was out for a duck as he fell again to Marco Jansen. Abhishek Sharma then took the bull by its horns and scored a fifty before being dismissed by Keshav Maharaj. 

South Africa struck back with the key wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Rinku Singh then added 58 runs for the 5th wicket as India made their way back into the contest. Ramandeep Singh making his international debut scored 15 runs including a six off the first ball to get off the mark in style. 

Indian bowlers hold their nerves after Klaasen and Jansen fright

Chasing 220 to win, South Africa scored 7 runs off the first over before the game was stopped by an insect’s attack. Once the match resumed, Ryan Rickelton gave the home team a great start. The openers added 27 for the first wicket before Rickelton chopped the ball back onto his stumps off Arshdeep Singh for 20. 

Reeza Hendricks tried to keep the fight going but Varun Chakravarthy had the last laugh. The 33-year-old beat Hendricks in flight who came down the track and missed the line of the ball and was stumped by Sanju Samson for 21. 

Skipper Aiden Markram hit Chakravarthy for two successive sixes before he was out caught by Ramandeep Singh. Chakravarthy bowled a long hop that Markram couldn’t time well as the ball hit the toe end of the bat to be caught by Singh for 29. Tristan Stubbs was out LBW to Axar Patel for 12 as he went for a reverse sweep. 

Heinrich Klaasen got South Africa back into the game with three consecutive sixes off Chakravarthy. Suryakumar Yadav spilled Klaasen’s catch and the very next ball the South African added insult to injury by smashing Chakravarthy for a four. 

Axar Patel then took a fine overhead catch to dismiss David Miller for 18 to give Hardik Pandya his first wicket. The ball seemed destined to go for a six only Axar to use his long reach and his time his jump well to take the catch. 

Marco Jansen smashed Ravi Bishnoi for two huge sixes to keep South Africa in the hunt. At that stage, the home team needed 59 runs to win from 18 balls. Arshdeep Singh bowled the 18th over of the innings and got the key wicket of Heinrich Klaasen for 41. South African wicketkeeper went for a huge shot only to be caught by Tilak Varma. 

That wicket changed the course of the game as Arshdeep Singh gave just 8 runs from the over. Hardik Pandya conceded ten runs off the first two balls. The third ball got yet another boundary as the home team got a sniff back into the contest. 26 runs came off the 19th over as South Africa needed 25 off 6 balls. 

Arshdeep Singh then came out to bowl the final over with Marco Jansen in particular going hammer and tongs. Gerald Coetzee got a single off the first ball to make it 24 needed off 5 balls. Jansen then struck a six to reach his fifty as 18 runs were needed from 4 balls. Arshdeep then bowled the perfect yorker as he trapped Marco Jansen LBW for 54 to help India win the game.