Thu Nov 14 14:49:22 UTC 2024: ## Tilak Varma’s Century Leads India to Thrilling Victory Over South Africa

**Centurion, South Africa:** Young Indian batsman Tilak Varma stole the show in the third T20 match against South Africa, smashing a match-winning century to guide his team to an 11-run victory. Varma, playing his first T20 international, remained unbeaten on 107 off just 56 balls, hitting 8 fours and 7 sixes.

This was Varma’s first century in the format, and he was understandably ecstatic after the match. “I can’t express how I feel right now,” he said. “Playing for my country is a dream come true. I am thankful to the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, who gave me the opportunity to bat at number three and told me to play freely.”

Varma’s knock came after the dismissal of Abhishek Sharma, who had scored a quickfire half-century. Varma, who had just joined the crease, took it upon himself to anchor the innings, putting on a crucial partnership with the lower order.

“The pitch wasn’t easy for the new batters coming in after Abhishek’s dismissal,” Varma explained. “I wanted to stay in the crease for a long time and build a good partnership.”

Earlier, India batted first and posted a challenging 219/6, with Varma and Sharma leading the charge. Marco Jansen (54 off 17 balls) and Aiden Markram (41 off 22 balls) gave South Africa a glimmer of hope, but the rest of the batting lineup faltered.

This victory puts India in a commanding position in the five-match T20 series, with two wins in the bag.

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