Samson, Varma centuries lead India to staggering 283-1 vs Proteas
An astonishing display of power-hitting from India’s top three batsmen saw the tourists to an eye-watering total of 283-1 after choosing to bat first in the fourth and final T20 International against South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday evening.
Sanju Samson added a second century to the one he scored in the first match reaching the milestone from just 51 balls and Tilak Varma backed up his hundred just two days earlier in Centurion with an astonishing century from just 41 balls.
The tourists have an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series after victories by 61 runs and 11 runs in the first and third matches in Durban and Centurion while the hosts won by three wickets in Gqeberha.
The two batsmen shattered a host of records during their second-wicket stand of 210 from just 93 deliveries which followed an opening stand of 73 between Samson and Abhishek Sharma whose 36 from only 18 balls (2x4, 4x6) was virtually forgotten at the end of the 20 overs.
Although it was obvious that South Africa’s bowlers had ‘plans’, they were not helped by the delivery of a staggering 17 wides and the fact that three catches were dropped and another three or four miscues landed just short of fielders
Samson finished on 109 from 56 balls with six fours and nine sixes while Varma ended with a staggering 120 from just 47 balls with nine fours and 10 sixes with both batsmen unveiling a scarcely credible variety of conventional and highly unconventional strokes.
Imagine scoring 216 runs in four innings and you have two ducks 🤯🤯
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 15, 2024
📺 Stream #SAvIND on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/47n18UDNbi
Tilak Varma brings up back-to-back hundreds in T20 Internationals 👏👏
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) November 15, 2024
📺 Stream #SAvIND on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/QO7dh1aBv8
Reverse sweeps against fast bowlers are not uncommon but rarely have they been as productive as during this innings, both players seemingly able to predict where every delivery would be bowled.
It was carnage from the start and it never ended. Marco Jansen was the most economical of the bowlers with 0-42 from his four overs while Gerald Coetzee (3-0-43-0) bravely returned to bowl two overs after leaving the field with a hamstring injury.
The course and tone of the innings might have been different had Reeza Hendricks held a regulation slip catch off Jansen in the first over before Abhishek had scored. But probably not.
SOUTH AFRICA: Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Andile Simelane, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla.
INDIA: Sanju Samson (wkt), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandy, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy.
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