All Records Broken By Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma In India’s Stellar Performance vs South Africa
Sanju Samson & Tilak Varma brought the house down in Johannesburg [Source: @BCCI/x.com]
In an explosive show of power, Team India unleashed pure batting carnage against South Africa in the fourth T20I at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on Friday. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma took the stage and the result was a jaw-dropping 283/1 in just 20 overs. South Africa had no answers as records tumbled left and right.
Let’s check out all the records Samson and Tilak broke in the fourth SA vs IND T20I:
Samson and Tilak’s Six-Hitting Extravaganza
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma turned the game into a six-hitting fest, smashing 19 sixes between them. With 9 sixes from Sanju and 10 from Tilak, India clocked a total of 23 maximums, putting them at joint third in T20I history for the most sixes by a team in a single innings. Only Zimbabwe, with their record 27 sixes against Gambia, sits higher on that list.
Highest 2nd Wicket Partnership in T20Is
The pair racked up an incredible 210-run stand for the second wicket in just 93 balls, making this the highest partnership for the second wicket in T20I history. And on the all-time partnership chart for any wicket, they now sit proudly in sixth place. This partnership completely demoralized South Africa, who could only watch as boundaries rained down.
Blazing Fast 200
Thanks to Samson and Tilak’s fearless batting, India reached 200 in just 14.1 overs — the third-fastest 200 ever scored in a T20I match. South Africa was scrambling to keep up as these two kept piling on runs, and the scoreboard seemed to jump with every shot.
India’s Second-Highest T20I Total Ever
Their 283-run total is now India’s second-highest in T20I cricket, only a few runs shy of their 297 against Bangladesh earlier this year. This match also marked the highest T20I total ever scored against South Africa, smashing the previous best of 258/3, set by the West Indies.
Two Centuries in One Game – A First Between Full-Member Nations
Both Samson and Tilak hit centuries, making this the first time two players from full-member nations scored hundreds in the same T20I game. Sanju remained unbeaten on 109 off 56 balls, while Tilak powered to 120 off 47 balls. Notably, only twice before in T20I cricket had two players from one team hit tons in the same match.
Samson's Hat-Trick of Centuries in 2024
With his scintillating hundred vs the Proteas, Samson became the first player ever to notch up three T20I tons in a single calendar year. All three have come in 2024, and he’s just been unstoppable.
Tilak’s Back-to-Back Hundreds
Tilak’s epic 120 also makes him part of an exclusive club of players who have hit back-to-back T20I hundreds. Joining the ranks with Samson, Gustav Mckeon, Rilee Rossouw, and Phil Salt, Tilak showed he’s one of the most promising young talents in the game.