Team India’s young batter Tilak Varma broke ace batting Virat Kohli’s record in the third T20I match against South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday (December 14). The left-handed batter became the player with the highest batting average in T20I run chases after the Men in Blue’s seven-wicket win.
Tilak came to bat at No. 3 during the run chase. The left-hander played with a calm approach to help the team reach the target without any pressure. He scored an unbeaten 25 runs off 34 balls, with just three boundaries. The hosts ended the 118-run chase with 25 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
Tilak Varma overtakes Virat Kohli in T20I chases
Tilak Varma has an exceptional record of finishing second in T20 internationals. He surpassed Virat Kohli in terms of average, putting him at the top of the batters with at least 500 runs in chases.
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Tilak scored over 500 runs in just 16 T20I innings as he continued, averaging close to 68, with a top score of 72 not out. Kohli set elite standards with over 2,000 runs in 48 innings. India may have found another reliable winner.
Highest average in T20I chases (minimum 500 runs):
| Player | Batting average |
|---|---|
| Tilak Varma | 68.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 67.10 |
| MS Dhoni | 47.71 |
| JP Duminy | 45.55 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 44.93 |
Tilak Varma sets new benchmark with record average against South Africa
Tilak added another major milestone with his latest outing against South Africa. He averages over 70 against the Proteas. Varma has the best average ever by an Indian batter against a single opponent in this format, surpassing Virat Kohli’s long-standing mark against Pakistan.
Highest average against a team in T20Is (minimum 300 runs):
| Player | They will oppose | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Tilak Varma | South Africa | 70.50 |
| Virat Kohli | Pakistan | 70.28 |
| Virat Kohli | Sri Lanka | 67.80 |
| KL Rahul | West Indies | 58.83 |
| Virat Kohli | West Indies | 57:00 |
India take 2-1 lead with comfortable win in Dharamsala
Coming to the match, India registered a comfortable victory against South Africa in the third T20I in Dharamshala. India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series on the back of an all-round performance.
South Africa struggled mightily with the bat on a pitch which helped the bowlers. India’s pace and attack worked together to apply early pressure, reducing the visitors to 30 for 4. South Africa never found their momentum and were bowled out for just 117.
Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav picked up two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube also contributed.
In response, India got off to a good start through Abhishek Sharma, who attacked during the powerplay and immediately released the pressure. The middle order didn’t score quickly, but the goal was never in doubt thanks to a good start.
India chased down the total easily, ending the match with plenty of balls and wickets in hand. The fourth T20I of the five-match series will take place at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, December 17.
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