Fri Nov 15 16:20:00 UTC 2024: ## India’s Samson and Verma Smash Centuries, Power India to Record-Breaking Win in 4th T20I

**Johannesburg, South Africa:** India thrashed South Africa in the fourth T20I at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, securing a resounding victory and a 3-1 series win. The match witnessed history as Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma both slammed centuries in a record-breaking partnership.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, India amassed a staggering 283/1, the highest ever T20I score against South Africa. This surpassed their previous best of 237/3, achieved in October 2022. Samson’s electrifying 109 off 56 balls and Varma’s equally impressive 120 off 47 balls constituted the first instance of two batsmen from full ICC member nations scoring centuries in the same T20I innings. This is only the third time this feat has been achieved in the history of T20 cricket. Their unbeaten 210-run partnership off 93 balls was a testament to their dominance. Abhishek Sharma also contributed a valuable 36 runs in the opening partnership. Only one South African wicket fell to Lungi Ngidi.

South Africa’s chase was short-lived, losing 4 wickets for just 10 runs. The Indian bowlers capitalized on the early collapse, ensuring a comfortable win.

This victory continues India’s impressive streak against South Africa in bilateral T20I series, extending their unbeaten run to five series. Their head-to-head record in T20Is against South Africa now stands at 17 wins for India and 12 for South Africa. India’s dominance is even more pronounced in South Africa, where they’ve won 12 out of 18 T20Is.

The Indian playing XI consisted of Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Varun Chakravarthy. The South African team comprised Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi.

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