Top-order batters Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma struck centuries and shared a historic 210-run partnership, which took India to a mammoth 283/1 against South Africa, the highest-ever total, in the fourth and final T20I match of the series at the Wanderers Stadium here on Friday. Sanju’s innings of 109 not out was his third century in five games whereas Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 120-run knock put him in an elite list of only five batters, including Samson, to have scored centuries in consecutive T20I.
Incidentally, Samson had achieved the feat in this series itself when he scored a hundred in the first match of this T20I series against South Africa at Kingsmead, adding to the hundred he scored against Bangladesh in India’s previous match. This is Samson’s second century of this four-match series and third in the last five matches.
A plethora of records were set at the Wanderers including the most sixes in an innings (23), the first time two centuries have been scored in the same innings (when two member sides are playing), the highest partnership for any wicket in T20I’s and India’s fastest innings to reach 200 (14.1 overs).
Samson once again wreaked havoc on the Proteas bowlers. After scoring a century in the first T20I, the 30-year-old from Kerala was dismissed for two consecutive ducks in the subsequent games.
On Friday after skipper Suryakumar Yadav elected to bat first, Samson welcomed Gerald Coetzee with a six and four in the second over to get the ball rolling for India. He continued building his innings with another six and four off Lutho Sipamla in the fourth over.
Abhishek Sharma (36) began the carnage in the fifth over when he smashed 24 runs off Andile Similane’s first over. The first ball was smashed out of the park by the young left-handed batter and was followed by a wide, six and a four.
The Proteas suffered a setback as Coetzee pulled up ahead of the fifth over and was forced to walk out of the ground with an injury. Sharma tried to utilize the final over of the Power-play and tried to charge down off Sipamla’s bowling but ended up nicking it behind Heinrich Klaasen.
India reached 73/1 at the end of the Power-play and Tilak Varma, who was moved up the order in the third T20I, picked up where he left off in the previous game.
Both Tilak and Sanju continued dealing in boundaries as the former hit two consecutive sixes off Keshav Maharaj to accumulate 19 in the over and Samson swiftly replied as he struck two sixes off Tristian Stubbs’ opening two deliveries in an over that saw 24 being conceded.
The duo continued with the rampage and took India to their second-highest score in 10 overs at 129/1, with the highest being India’s recent win over Bangladesh, and continued clearing the boundaries.
There was no stopping the duo as it scored 57 runs between the 12th and 14th overs which forced captain Aiden Markram to bring on Gerald Coetzee back on the pitch and it nearly paid off. After being hit for a six each by the duo, Tilak’s pull shot went high in the air and a diving Maharaj could not get there in time.
Samson and Varma raced to their centuries from thereon, reaching the milestone in 51 and 41 balls respectively. The duo ended the night with a huge partnership of 210 runs and powered India to 283/1 against South Africa, the highest-ever total at the Wanderers Stadium.
Brief scores:
India 283/1 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 109 not out, Abhishek Sharma 36, Tilak Varma 120 not out; Lutho Sipamla 1-58) against South Africa