In a historic display of batting prowess, India shattered records and left South Africa’s bowlers bewildered in the fourth and final T20I at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma etched their names in the annals of cricket history, becoming the first pair to score centuries in the same T20I innings.
Samson, known for his audacious strokeplay, unleashed a whirlwind knock of 109* off just 56 deliveries, peppering the boundaries with 6 fours and 9 towering sixes. Varma, the young prodigy, matched Samson’s brilliance with a stunning 120* off a mere 47 balls, smashing 9 fours and 10 sixes.
India’s batting onslaught propelled them to a mammoth 283/1, the highest total ever recorded in a T20I between two Full Member sides. The previous record of 297/6, set by India against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024, was shattered by this extraordinary performance.
The partnership between Samson and Varma was equally remarkable, reaching a staggering 210* runs. This became the highest partnership for any wicket for India and the highest partnership for any wicket against South Africa in a T20I. It also stands as the highest partnership for the second wicket or below in all T20Is.
India’s batting fireworks extended to the six-hitting department, as they smashed a record 23 sixes. This surpassed the previous best of 22 sixes, which had been achieved by India against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024, by West Indies against South Africa in Centurion in 2023, and by Afghanistan against Ireland in Dehradun in 2019.
Samson’s century was his third in T20Is in 2024, making him the first player ever to achieve this feat in a calendar year. He has now been involved in three 170+ T20I partnerships, the most for any batter.
India also set a new record for the fewest overs taken to reach 200 runs in a T20I, achieving the milestone in just 14.1 overs. This surpassed the previous best of 13.5 overs, set by South Africa against West Indies in Centurion in 2023, and 13.6 overs, set by India against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024.
