Sanju Samson first player in T20I history to do the unthinkable, Tilak Varma blasts back-to-back centuries, India 283/1

India bulldozed their way to 282/1 – their second-highest T20I total and the highest-ever by any team against South Africa. Samson remained unbeaten on 109 off 56 balls, while his partner Tilak Varma smashed 120* off 47 balls.

Samson reached his century off 51 balls with a single to the off-side – an anti-climax of sorts after all the boundary-hitting, one would say. As if Samson would care about that. As if anybody would. It was his third T20I century in five innings and a welcome return to form (if we are allowed to call it that), after back-to-back ducks. In the process, Sanju Samson became the first player ever to score three T20 International hundreds in a calendar year.

He also became the only third Indian cricketer to hit more than two centuries after Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. That he took just five innings to join them after waiting for nine years to get his maiden T20I century, speaks volumes about his zeal and determination.

Tilak Varma also registered his second T20I century for India. The 22-year-old has now become the fifth player to score back-to-back T20I centuries, after India’s Sanju Samson, France’s Gustav Mckeon, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw and England’s Phil Salt. Tilak Varma is yet to be dismissed in his last two innings.

Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 210-run stand for the second wicket also became the highest partnership for any wicket in the history of T20I cricket.