SA vs IND | Tilak Varma’s century takes charge as Marco Jansen’s last-ditch effort fizzles out

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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India defeated South Africa by 11 runs in the third T20I at Centurion. The Indian batting was led by Abhishek Sharma’s half-century and Tilak Varma’s 107* off 56, propelling them to a total of 219/6 while the hosts fell short in their chase despite Marco Jansen’s fiery 54 off 17 balls.

‌Riding high on the confidence from their victory in the second T20I, South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bowl first. His decision paid immediate dividends as Marco Jansen dismissed Sanju Samson in the opening over. However, the early setback did little to deter India’s chase as Abhishek Sharma, coming out of a lean patch, joined Tilak Varma in playing some aggressive shots. Together, they exploited the Centurion pitch to the fullest, taking India to 70/1 by the end of the powerplay. The run fest continued with Sharma making a stellar comeback, bringing up a quick-fire half-century off just 24 balls. Unfortunately, his attacking approach backfired as he misjudged a delivery and was dismissed in the ninth over. Soon after, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, unable to find his rhythm, fell for just one run. At the halfway mark, India found themselves at 110/3, with Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya at the crease. However, Tilak continued to shine and scored a half-century off 32 balls, while Hardik struggled against the spin bowlers. Additionally, his innings were cut short by Keshav Maharaj in the 13th over. The run rate dipped as South Africa’s bowlers found their groove, with India sitting at 138/4 after 14 overs. The momentum shifted back in India’s favour when Tilak unleashed some spectacular strokes, reaching 82 off 42 balls. However, Rinku Singh’s struggles with the bat saw him dismissed by Andile Phehlukwayo in the 18th over. The match then saw a thrilling twist as debutant Ramandeep Singh made an immediate impact, launching a six off his first delivery. Tilak, undeterred, reached a dazzling century off just 51 balls. India finished with a blistering 219/6 in their allotted 20 overs, with Tilak remaining not out on 107 from 56 balls.  

The South African run chase was dramatically disrupted by an unexpected swarm of flying ants. Despite making a solid start at 7/0 in the first over, play was halted for 20 minutes as the groundsmen cleared the field. Once play resumed, South Africa kept up the pressure, with Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks taking the score to 46/1 after five overs. However, India struck in the sixth over when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Hendricks. As the pitch began to slow down, the spinners gained control, and the run rate dipped. The next breakthrough came in the ninth over when Axar Patel removed Tristan Stubbs, leaving South Africa at 68/3. Markram then looked solid with a quick 29 off 18 balls before falling in the 10th over. With Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease, South Africa reached 99/4 in 12 overs, still needing 121 runs from 48 balls. Klaasen then took charge, smacking three consecutive sixes off the 14th over to bring the score to 126/4. By the 15th over, South Africa needed 86 from the last 30 balls, and the match was poised for a thrilling finish as Klaasen and Miller slowly shifted the momentum. However, India found a breakthrough in the 16th over when Hardik Pandya dismissed Miller, breaking the crucial partnership. With 77 runs required from the last four overs, the hosts pinned their hopes on Klaasen and Marco Jansen. Jansen responded with back-to-back sixes in the 17th over, reducing the target to 59 runs from the last three overs. The tide shifted again in India’s favor when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Klaasen in the 18th over. South Africa now needed 51 runs from the last two overs. The momentum swung back when Jansen hammered 26 runs off the 19th over, leaving the hosts needing 25 runs from the final over. Arshdeep was given the responsibility to bowl the last over. Coetzee took a single off the first delivery, and Jansen, continuing his aggressive approach, hit another six. Unfortunately for the hosts, Jansen was dismissed on the next ball, giving India a sigh of relief. In the end, South Africa fell short by 11 runs, as India clinched a thrilling victory and took a 2-1 lead in the series.

GP's Airlines!

That was so scary landing!

Mass of masses!

He just nailed the show for a while!

LOL!

He looks all ok!

What a fight!

Yeah!

T20I cricket!

Sheer carnage!

Just smashed everything!

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