Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh help India end Centurion trend, seal series lead

India bounced back from their defeat in Gqeberha with a significantly improved batting display, driven by Tilak Varma’s maiden T20I century in the third T20I of the four-match series in Centurion on Wednesday, 13 November. India set a record total of 219 at SuperSport Park, becoming the first team in five years to defend a target in a T20 international at this iconic venue. | Scorecard |
A bizarre interruption caused by a swarm of ‘flying ants’ briefly halted play. Fortunately, it did not overshadow the match as players from both teams continued to give their all in what has been a largely inconsequential T20I series in the Rainbow Nation.
Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 107, Abhishek Sharma’s fifty, and a brisk cameo from debutant Ramandeep Singh powered India to 219 for 6 in their 20 overs after South Africa won the toss and chose to field. Aiden Markram counted on recent history at the venue, where teams batting second had won the last five T20Is, including South Africa’s world-record chase of 259 in March 2023.
SA vs IND, 3rd T20I: Highlights
However, India’s bowlers, led by record-breaking Arshdeep Singh, succeeded in keeping South Africa’s big-hitting stars quiet, allowing India to break the pattern and secure a memorable 11-run victory. With this win, India gained an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series, with the finale set to be played on Friday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Heinrich Klaasen’s 22-ball 41 and Marco Jansen’s sensational cameo — a 17-ball 54 — were not enough as India won the match by xx runs. Jansen auditioned perfectly for the upcoming Indian Premier League mega auction, taking two wickets in an economical display of bowling before hammering Hardik Pandya for 26 runs in an over and helping South Africa stay in the contest until the 20th over of the chase.
It was also a record-breaking day for Indian bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakrvarthy, the architects of India’s successful defence of 219 runs.
Arshdeep broke Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s record to become the fast bowler with most wickets in T20I cricket for India. Varun Chakravarthy, who picked up two crucial wickets, took his tally in the series to 10 wickets and break R Ashwin’s record for most wickets in a bilateral series for India.