India Vs South Africa 3rd T20I Awards: Tilak Varma Shines With Century And Player Of The Match Honour

India secured a thrilling win against South Africa in the third T20I, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. The match, held on Wednesday, November 13, saw India triumph by 11 runs. This victory came after their previous loss in Gqeberha, with Centurion proving to be a lucky venue for Suryakumar Yadav and his team.

Tilak Varma was the star performer for India, scoring an unbeaten century. His 107-run innings helped India reach 219 runs, marking their highest T20I total on South African soil. Abhishek Sharma also contributed with a half-century, while Sanju Samson's struggles continued as he was dismissed for zero.

The South African innings faced an unusual delay when insects halted play for about 20 minutes. Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks got off to promising starts but failed to convert them into significant scores. Aiden Markram played well for his 29 before being dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy.

Heinrich Klaasen launched an aggressive attack alongside David Miller. However, Miller fell to Hardik Pandya's bowling after Axar Patel took a stunning catch. Klaasen's dismissal at 41 runs off 22 balls weakened South Africa's chase, but Marco Jansen kept their hopes alive with his powerful hitting.

Jansen's explosive batting in the final overs brought excitement as he smashed boundaries effortlessly. He scored his maiden T20I half-century in just 16 balls. Despite needing 25 runs in the last over, Arshdeep Singh's crucial wicket of Jansen ended South Africa's pursuit.

MMT Maximum Longest Six of the Match: Heinrich Klaasen - 109 metres

Impact Player of the Match: Marco Jansen

Player of the Match: Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma Reflects on His Performance

"(on the performance) I am happy that we are in the winning side. I couldn't imagine, it was my dream and it came at the right time for my country. Under the pressure, it was a good knock. (Why at No. 3) Credit goes to the captain as he gave me the opportunity. I am really happy and always thankful, it was all for Surya. I just wanted to express myself and back my basics. The wicket was slightly two-paced. I wanted to take a bit of time and Abhishek batted superbly. It went well for the team and me. (the Mentality) I always belief in the basics. The team management backs all the players. The positive approach come from the team and the captain."

Notable Statistics from IND vs SA 3rd T20I

• N Tilak Varma became India's 12th batter to score a T20I century.
• This year marks India's fifth century in T20Is, tying with RCB (2016) and India (2023) for most centuries in a calendar year.
• The score of 219 is India's highest T20I total on South African soil; previously it was 218 against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup.
• Ramandeep Singh became only the second Indian to hit a six on his debut ball in T20Is after Suryakumar Yadav.
• Arshdeep Singh surpassed Jasprit Bumrah as India's second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 92 wickets, trailing only Yuzvendra Chahal who has 96 wickets.

The final match of this exciting series is scheduled for Friday, November 15, where both teams will aim to showcase their best performances once again.