Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India displayed brute hitting to leave South Africa shell-shocked in the fourth and final T20I of the four-match series at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on Friday. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma went berserk as the Proteas were left searching for answers. The duo hit sixes for fun as India broke several records as they posted the total of 283/1 in the allotted twenty overs.
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma played knocks of 109 and 120 respectively as India posted more than 280 runs on the board. Team India hit a total of 23 sixes in the fourth T20I. As a result, Team India have now registered the joint third-highest number of most sixes in a single T20I innings.
The record for most maximums in a single innings is held by Zimbabwe as the team hit 27 sixes against Gambia in October 2024. In the 4th T20I, Sanju Samson hit 9 maximums while Tilak Varma registered 10 sixes.
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma also registered a partnership of 210 runs for the second wicket off just 93 balls. This is the sixth-highest partnership for any wicket in T20Is. Both the batters also registered the highest partnership for second wicket in T20Is.
Team India also registered the third-fastest 200 in a T20I match. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma ensured that India post a total of more than 200 inside 14.1 overs.
India register their second-highest T20I total
Team India have also registered their second-highest T20I total, owing to Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma’s heroics. It was just earlier this year, that India had registered their highest team T20I total – 297 against Bangladesh.
During the fourth T20I against South Africa, Sanju Samson also registered his third T20I century. All his three centuries in the shortest format have come in 2024. As a result, he has now become the first player ever to score three T20 international centuries in a calendar year.
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.
This is also the first instance of two batters scoring individual hundreds in a T20I between two full member nations, meanwhile, this is the third time overall in the format.
Owing to Samson and Tilak’s heroics, India also posted the highest T20I total against South Africa surpassing the previous best — 258/3 by West Indies in Centurion in 2023.
In the end, Samson remained unbeaten on 109 off 56 balls while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 120 off 47 balls.
Earlier, Abhishek Sharma had also played a knock of 36 balls off just 18 balls. It was India who won the toss, and opted to bat first.
Arshdeep Singh returned with three wickets as India registered a comprehensive win by 135 runs to take the four-match series 3-1.
Here are all the records that Team India set in the 4th T20I:
Most sixes in an innings – 23 (Top 10 teams)
1st instance of two centuries in same innings (Full member nations)
Highest partnership for second-wicket in T20Is – 210*
Highest innings total in South Africa – 283
India’s fastest to 200 runs – 14.1 overs
