Tilak Varma kept reminding himself to stay positive as back-to-back hand injuries sidelined him from the T20I tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka a few months ago. By the time he recovered, he had fallen down the selection order. He wasn’t initially included in the squad for the Bangladesh T20Is either but received a last-minute call-up after Shivam Dube withdrew due to a back injury. However, Tilak didn’t get a chance to play in that series.
The series against South Africa marked Tilak Varma’s return to the Indian team. He began with a quickfire 33 off 18 balls in the first T20I in Durban but followed it with a modest run-a-ball 20 in Gqeberha.
Ahead of the third game in Centurion, Tilak admitted feeling the pressure. Yet, his performance told a different story. On Wednesday, he played a stunning innings, smashing eight fours and seven sixes to score an unbeaten 107 off just 56 balls. His knock powered India to a total of 219 for 6, securing a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
At just 22 years and 5 days, Tilak Varma became the second-youngest batter to score a T20I century in matches between Full Member teams. What truly stood out during his innings, however, was the maturity with which he shifted gears.
Having batted at No. 4 in the first two T20Is, Tilak was promoted to No. 3 in Centurion after Sanju Samson fell for his second consecutive duck just two balls into the innings. This move wasn’t improvised. India captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that Tilak had approached him after the second game, saying, *”Give me the opportunity to bat at No. 3. Let me express myself.”* On the eve of the match, Suryakumar agreed and told him, *”You are going to bat at No. 3. Express yourself.”*
Tilak wasted no time making an impact. Facing Marco Jansen, he punched his second delivery past point for a four and followed it with a commanding six over deep third.
However, the pitch proved tricky with its two-paced nature. In Jansen’s next over, Tilak attempted a pull but was late, resulting in the ball glancing off his helmet and flying over the wicketkeeper. Later, a slower delivery from Jansen caught him early on a pull, causing him to miss entirely. Despite these challenges, Tilak’s adaptability would go on to define his match-winning knock.
Tilak added two boundaries in the next couple of overs, reaching 26 off 19 balls by the end of the powerplay. With Abhishek Sharma in good rhythm at the other end, India comfortably reached 70 for 1 after six overs.
Once the field restrictions eased, Aiden Markram brought himself on for an over of offspin, hoping to contain the two left-handers. Tilak responded brilliantly, switching his stance to reverse-sweep Markram over backward point for six.
When Abhishek and Suryakumar fell in consecutive overs, Tilak knew he had to bat deep. *”It wasn’t easy for a new batter to attack right away,”* he later explained. *”I wanted to build one partnership—that’s what I was discussing with Hardik [Pandya] bhai and Rinku [Singh].”*
Tilak was on 45 off 27 balls when Abhishek got out, adding just 10 runs in the next nine balls as India’s scoring rate dipped below 10 an over. When Keshav Maharaj returned for his final over—the 15th—Tilak seized the moment, hitting him for 4, 6, 4, and a single to reignite the momentum.
In the next over, Gerald Coetzee missed his lengths, and Tilak dispatched both a full and a short ball over the boundary. Although Rinku contributed just 8 off 13 balls, Tilak’s acceleration ensured India’s innings didn’t stall as it had in the first T20I. He brought up his century in just 51 balls, celebrating by pointing and blowing a kiss to the Indian dugout. His moment had arrived.
“I can’t put my feelings into words,” Tilak said. “It has always been my dream to score a century for my country, and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Coming back from injury and achieving this feels incredible.
“The celebration was for Surya because he gave me the opportunity to bat at No. 3. I had promised him that I would deliver, and that’s why I pointed towards him.”
Suryakumar Yadav was equally full of praise for Tilak. “I knew what he was capable of, and he proved it. Moving forward, he’s definitely our No. 3. He asked for the role, delivered on it, and earned it.”
