 "IND vs SA: Tilak, Abhishek and Arshdeep shine in Centurion as India go 2-1 up with 11-run win in 3rd T20")
Tilak Varma led the way with a majestic century as India restored their lead in the four-match T20I series against South Africa with a 11-run victory in Centurion on Wednesday. After failing to defend a modest 124-run total in Gqeberha, the Men in Blue flexed their batting muscles at Centurion’s SuperSport Park as Tilak's maiden international century (107 not out off 56) helped them post 219/6 – the second time they went past the 200-mark in three games in the ongoing tour.
The bowlers then just about enough with Arshdeep Singh (3/37) making a fine comeback after getting hammered at St George’s Park to ensure India went 2-1 up in the four-match series with one match to go at at Johannesburg on Friday. The Proteas fought hard and did not give up even after losing two wickets in the powerplay, with Marco Jansen’s blazing half-century (54 off 17) keeping them alive till the final over after Heinrich Klaasen came to their rescue in the middle overs with a knock of 41 off 22 balls.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side thus ensured they maintained their undefeated record in bilateral T20I assignments in South Africa comprising three or more matches, as they will share the honours with the Proteas even if they lose at The Wanderers two days from now. Surya, however, will be hopeful of maintaining his winning run since his appointment as full-time skipper in July, having led India to back-to-back 3-0 whitewashes against Sri Lanka (away) and Bangladesh (home).
Tilak, Abhishek ensure India post a winning total
Tilak had widely been considered a future Indian star ever since he racked up nearly 400 runs for Mumbai Indians in his maiden IPL season in 2022 and has amassed more than 1,000 runs in three seasons at a strike rate touching 150. It’s the potential that MI see in him that led to the franchise retaining him alongside other members of the core group on the 31 October deadline.
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A superb maiden century for the stylish #TeamIndia southpaw! 🙌
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On Wednesday, Tilak showed by he is rated so highly among the younger crop of players with a knock that arguably is the finest of his career so far. Promoted to the No 3 slot, Tilak announced himself with a four and six off consecutive deliveries off Jansen right after the left-arm pacer castled Sanju Samson with a beauty for the second game in a row.
The southpaw was off to a solid start in Durban as well, collecting 33 in 18 deliveries, and had scored a run-a-ball 20 in Gqeberha. On Wednesday, Tilak found ideal support in opener Abhishek Sharma, who greeted Gerald Coetzee with two fours and a six in a 15-run over, the two equally attacking in their approach and ensuring the Men in Blue raced to 70/1 at the end of the powerplay and went past 100 shortly before the halfway stage.
Stats | Tilak Varma joins elite list with maiden ton as Indian batters set new record
Abhishek, who arrived at the SuperSport looking to overcome a lean patch since scoring a blazing century in Zimbabwe, was stumped off Keshav Maharaj’s bowling right after completing a 24-ball half-century. Tilak, however, remained at the crease till the end to ensure the visitors did not lose wickets in a heap towards the end like they did in Durban after Samson’s dismissal.
At a venue where the odds where overwhelmingly in favour of the team batting second, Tilak’s fireworks in the last six overs of the innings along with Ramandeep Singh’s handy 15 off six balls on India debut that included a six off the first ball ensured India had a winning total on the board.
Arshdeep’s death-over heroics trump Jansen’s blitz
The Proteas were off to a promising start in their chase of 220, which was interrupted by flying ants after the conclusion of the first over, collecting 55 runs in the powerplay but losing both openers along the way. However, it was between overs 6-10 where the asking rate began to climb at an exponential rate thanks to some tidy bowling by spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel at that stage, with the former getting rid of South African skipper Aiden Markram at the halfway mark.
Heinrich Klaasen was far from his best in the first two matches, but was back to smashing sixes and dominating spinners for fun at SuperSport Park. South Africa were yet to cross the century mark at the end of the 12th over, needing 121 off 48 at that stage when Klaasen decided to shift gears and keep the hosts’ alive in the chase.
More importantly, the Sunrisers Hyderabad star bossed Chakravarthy for once after getting dismissed by the leg-spinner in both matches earlier in the series. Klaasen smashed the 33-year-old for a hat-trick of sixes at the start of his final over, with one of them landing on the roof, to ensure he signed off with a half-century (2/54) of his own, albeit with the ball.
Later, Jansen teed off from the word go following David Miller’s dismissal, smasing leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for back-to-back sixes in his final deliveries of the evening and later hammering seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya for 26 runs in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to 25 off 6.
Arshdeep was under pressure after getting smashed all over the ground at St George’s Park by Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee as the Men in Blue lost the game from a winning position. On Wednesday, the left-arm quick was back to his best when it came to death bowling.
Brought back for his last two in the 18th over, Arshdeep made an instant impact by getting rid of a set Klaasen, firing the ball wide outside off and taking pace off it at the same time. Klaasen stretched his arms, but could only toe-end the ball to Tilak at sweeper cover.
Jansen was timing the ball like a dream when it was Arshdeep’s turn to bowl the final over, and the latter was under pressure after getting hit for a six off a full, wide delivery, leaving the Proteas to win 18 off 4, which looked very gettable with Jansen around.
Arshdeep responded immediately with another full delivery, but one that was pitched between middle and leg and angled in slightly. SKY signalled for the review soon as the umpire gave it ‘No Out’, and with three reds on ball-tracking, the match was as good as over for the hosts.
Brief scores:
India 219/6 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 107*, Abhishek Sharma 50; Keshav Maharaj 2/36) defeated South Africa 208/7 in 20 overs (Marco Jansen 54, Heinrich Klaasen 41; Arshdeep Singh 3/37) by 11 runs.
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