Varma’s ton gives India narrow win over South Africa in third T20I
Tilak Varma’s Century Guides India to 11-Run Win Over South Africa
Tilak Varma scored his maiden T20I century, leading India to an 11-run victory over South Africa in Pretoria on Wednesday. The match at Centurion Park was interrupted for nearly half an hour due to a swarm of flying ants.
India batted first and set a challenging target of 220, finishing with 219/6 in their 20 overs. Varma’s explosive innings, which included 8 fours and 7 sixes, saw him score 107* off 56 balls. Abhishek Sharma also contributed a quick-fire 50 off 25 balls, with the pair putting on 107 runs for the second wicket in just 50 balls.
South Africa’s chase was always behind as India’s bowlers, particularly Axar Patel (1-29) and Arshdeep Singh (3-37), kept them under control. However, South Africa made a late push, with Marco Jansen smashing a career-best 54 from 17 balls and Heinrich Klaasen adding 41 off 22 balls. Despite the fight, they finished at 208/7, 11 runs short of India’s total.
The result gives India a 2-1 lead in the four-match series, with the final game set for Friday in Johannesburg.
