A brilliant three-wicket spell by left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh after twin centuries by Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma, who shared a 210-run partnership — the highest for any wicket, helped India thrash South Africa by 135 runs in a record breaking performance at The Wanderers Stadium here on Friday. With that, India won the four-match series 3-1 and have maintained their lead since the T20 World Cup: 24 out of the 26 T20Is they have played so far this year.
Arshdeep Singh took three for 20 to topple the top-order of South Africa after Samson had hammered an unbeaten 109 off 56 balls and Tilak Varma blazed to an unbeaten 120 from just 47 balls to become only the second Indian to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is and helped India post a mammoth 283/1 in 20 overs, the highest score ever in a T20I match involving two full members.
Arshdeep utilised the conditions well as the ball darted around under lights to take three wickets in successive two overs, two out of those three coming off successive balls in the third over. He mopped up Reza Hendricks (0) off the third ball of his opening over and then sent back Aiden Markram (8) and Heinrich Klaasen (0) in his second over and through David Miller prevented a hat-trick, the damage was done. In between, Hardik Pandya induced an edge behind off Ryan Rickelton (1), and India had the South Africans on the ropes at four down for 10 runs.
Tristian Stubbs smashed 43 off 29 balls, replete with three boundaries and two sixes, while Miller thrashed 36 off 27 balls to give the hosts some hopes as they raised 86 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership. They struck some huge sixes off Ramandeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy but the mystery spinner triggered another collapse after he sent back Miller when he tried to slam his fourth six.
Of interest, Chakravarthy had claimed a fifer in the second T20I, claiming 2-42 while Axar Patel 2-6 as South Africa were bowled out for 148 in 18.2 overs as India dominated the one-sided match, winning by 135 runs and recording their biggest-ever T20I victory against South Africa. Chakravarthy ended up the most successful bowler in the series with 12 wickets. India thus won the series 3-1, dominating with bat and ball in this record-breaking match and series. Samson and Tilak Varma entered the record books as they hit back-to-back centuries. Samson was the third Indian batter to score three hundred in T20Is.
On Friday, after skipper Suryakumar Yadav chose to bat first, Samson got the ball rolling for India when he received Gerald Coetzee with a six and four in the second over. He built his innings with another six and four off Lutho Sipamla in the fourth over.
Abhishek Sharma (36) started the carnage in the fifth over when he smashed 24 runs off Andile Similane's first over. The left-handed young batsman of 19 years smashed the first ball out of the park and then came a wide, six, and a four. The Proteas got upset as Coetzee pulled up ahead of the fifth over and then had to walk out from the ground due to an injury. Sharma was trying to go for the last ball of the Power-play. He decided to charge down off Sipamla's bowling but nicked it behind Heinrich Klaasen.
At the end of the Power-play, India reached 73/1, while Tilak Varma, who was promoted up the order in the third T20I, picked up where he left off from the previous game.
Both Tilak and Samson continued trading boundaries, as the latter sent two successive sixes off Keshav Maharaj for 19 runs in the over and Samson replied sharply as he smote two sixes off the first two deliveries of Tristian Stubbs's over and took it to 24 runs. The pair then continued the spree and gave India their highest score in 10 overs at 129/1, which is recorded by India in its latest victory over Bangladesh. They continued to clear the boundaries.
The duo did not let the pressure off as they scored 57 runs between the 12th and 14th overs that force captain Aiden Markram to call back Gerald Coetzee, and nearly paid off in sixes which were hit by Tilak to both before the pull shot went flying high in the air where diving Maharaj could not get there in time.
From thereon, Samson and Varma accelerated well to their hundreds in just 51 and 41 deliveries respectively. The pair finished off the night with a gigantic 210 runs-partnership and took India to 283/1 against South Africa, the highest ever-made score 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; beat South Africa 148 all out in 18.2 overs; Tristan Stubbs 43, David Miller 36, Marco Jansen 29 not out; Arshdeep Singh 3-20, Varun Chakravarthy 2-42, Axar Patel 2-6 by 135 runs.
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