Tilak Varma made history by breaking Suresh Raina's 14-year-old record with a remarkable 51-ball century against South Africa in the third T20I of the ongoing four-match series at Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday, November 13. This outstanding performance put India in a commanding position to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Tilak was elevated in the batting order and came out to bat at number three after Sanju Samson was dismissed for a duck in the first over of the match by Marco Jansen, following Aiden Markram's decision to bowl first after winning the toss. Despite this early setback, Tilak displayed an aggressive approach and was well-supported by Abhishek Sharma. The pair formed a 107-run partnership for the third wicket in just 50 balls, with Abhishek contributing a quick-fire 45 off 20 balls before departing. Tilak reached his half-century in 32 balls.
Despite the early dismissals of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh, Tilak continued his onslaught and ensured India posted a formidable total of 219 runs on the board. Debutant Ramandeep Singh also played a valuable cameo, scoring 15 runs off six balls. Tilak remained unbeaten with a stunning knock of 107 off 56 balls.
Tilak made history by becoming the youngest player to score a T20I century against South Africa and the first to achieve this milestone before turning 23 against the Proteas. Previously, India's Suresh Raina held this record, which he accomplished during the 2010 T20 World Cup.
At 22 years and 4 days, Tilak is also the second youngest Indian to score a T20I century, only behind Yashasvi Jaiswal (21 years, 279 days), who set the record against Nepal in the 2023 Asian Games last year.
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