Centurion [South Africa], November 14 – After India’s thrilling 11-run win over South Africa in the third T20I at Centurion, skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed pride in the team’s performance, saying they played the fearless “brand of cricket” they aimed for. This victory gives India a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
Despite contributing only one run in four balls before being dismissed by Andile Simelane, Suryakumar was enthusiastic about the younger players’ approach. “Even if they miss out a few innings, we back their intent and their game,” he said at the post-match presentation, highlighting the team’s commitment to aggressive, fearless cricket.
The skipper singled out Tilak Varma, who led India’s batting with a brilliant unbeaten 107 off 56 balls, for special praise. “Tilak came to me in Gqeberha asking to bat at three, and I knew he was ready. Today, he showed exactly what he’s capable of,” Suryakumar said, adding that Varma’s future in the No. 3 spot looks promising.
In the game, South Africa won the toss and chose to field, but Abhishek Sharma (50 off 25) and Tilak Varma powered India to an imposing total of 219/6. Andile Simelane and Keshav Maharaj each took two wickets, but struggled to contain Sharma and Varma’s aggressive innings.
During South Africa’s chase, Heinrich Klaasen (41 off 22) and Marco Jansen (54 off 17) kept the game alive with explosive innings. However, Arshdeep Singh, with a disciplined spell of 3/37, took key wickets both at the start and in the death overs, while Varun Chakaravarthy provided crucial support with two wickets in his four-over spell.
Tilak Varma’s exceptional century earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award, further solidifying his reputation as one of India’s brightest young talents.
