4th T20I
Tilak and Samson as well as the bowlers have powered dominant series victory
India scored 283/1 in 20 overs, where as South Africa scored 148 in 18.2 overs.
So, finally India beat South Africa by 135 runs.
Tilak Varma (120 off 47) and Sanju Samson (109 off 56) smashed a slew of records to power India to a dominant 135-run victory in the fourth T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Opting to bat first, the pair put on an electrifying 210-run partnership, lifting India to a total of 283/1—setting a new record total at the venue by 23 runs.
With such a colossal target, the outcome was never in doubt.**
Arshdeep Singh (3/20) and Hardik Pandya (1/8) then tore through the South African top order, reducing them to 10/4 in a sensational new-ball spell.
From there, South Africa’s only goal was damage control, and despite late flurries from Tristan Stubbs (43), David Miller (36), and Marco Jansen (29 off 12), the hosts fell well short in the end.*
The day truly belonged to Tilak and Samson, who pulverized South Africa’s bowlers with an astonishing display of strokeplay.
Abhishek Sharma (36 off 18) gave an early boost with a quickfire cameo, and together with Samson, they helped India to a rapid 73-run PowerPlay.
Though Abhishek fell early, Tilak took over the assault from there.
Having already scored his maiden T20I century in the previous match, Tilak continued his blistering form, hitting boundaries and sixes effortlessly.
Samson, though slightly more measured, also started to accelerate, and soon the duo was putting the South African bowlers to the sword.
Despite the smaller square boundaries, even the larger straight dimensions of the ground couldn’t contain the onslaught.
A brief injury to Gerald Coetzee saw captain Aiden Markram bring himself on for a few overs, and that decision proved costly as Tilak and Samson took 30 runs off his two overs.
Every bowler who came on faced the same treatment, with even the experienced Keshav Maharaj unable to stem the flow of runs.
By the 15th over, India had already surpassed their total from the previous match (219), and while South Africa’s bowlers tightened up slightly in the final overs—conceding just 64 off the last 30 balls—the damage had already been done.
Both Tilak and Samson reached their centuries, with Tilak achieving back-to-back tons in T20Is, joining Samson as the only two Indians to achieve this feat.
For Samson, it marked his third T20I century in just five innings, capping off a remarkable run.
On the bowling front, Marco Jansen was the only South African bowler to post relatively decent figures, though he still went at over 10 runs per over.
When South Africa began their chase, there was little hope.
Arshdeep’s new-ball brilliance continued, as he sent the top-order packing, with Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram falling cheaply.
Ryan Rickelton was dismissed by Pandya, and Heinrich Klaasen was trapped LBW by a sharp nip-backer from Arshdeep.
At 10/4, the match was effectively over, but Stubbs, Miller, and Jansen provided some resistance with a few late boundaries, helping South Africa reach 148/7.
Despite their late surge, the result was a heavy defeat, and India sealed a dominant 135-run win, with Arshdeep’s scintillating spell at the top marking the victory as one of India’s most comprehensive T20I wins in recent history.
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