Ranking the top 5 hundreds by an Indian batter vs South Africa in T20Is ft. Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma smacked 107* off 56 balls as Team India beat South Africa by 11 runs in the third T20I at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday, November 13. Thanks to the left-handed batter's brilliant knock, which featured eight fours and seven sixes, India won the high-scoring clash. Sent into bat, the Men in Blue put up 219-6 on the board in their 20 overs and then held the Proteas to 208-7.
Varma's knock in Centurion on Wednesday marked the fifth instance of an Indian batter scoring a hundred in a T20I against South Africa. Suresh Raina was the first Men in Blue batter to achieve the feat. He hammered a century against South Africa in Gros Islet in May 2010. Rohit Sharma (October 2015), Suryakumar Yadav (December 2023), and Sanju Samson (November 2024) are also part of the list.
On that note, we rank the top five hundreds by an Indian batter against South Africa in T20Is.
#5 Tilak Varma (107* off 56)
Promoted to No. 3 in the third T20I against the Proteas in Centurion, Varma grabbed the opportunity to smash his maiden T20I ton. The left-handed batter's 97-minute stay at the crease saw him clobbering eight fours and seven sixes as the Men in Blue registered a crucial win in the four-match series.
The 22-year-old's knock came on a belter of a pitch in Centurion against a relatively inexperienced South Africa bowling attack comprising the likes of Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Lutho Sipamla, and Andile Simelane. It was an excellent innings nonetheless and should give a lot of confidence to the youngster for the bigger challenges ahead.
#4 Sanju Samson (107 off 50)
Samson hammered 107 off only 50 balls against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban in the opening match of the series. This was the Kerala batter's second ton in consecutive T20I innings. He had earlier scored 111 off 47 balls against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in October.
Speaking of his innings in Durban, Samson hit seven fours and as many as 10 sixes in his 75-minute knock as Team India got off to a great start in the series, registering victory by 61 runs. Like the case with Varma, Samson's performance also came against an inexperienced bowling attack featuring Jansen, Coetzee, Simelane, Nqabayomzi Peter, and Patrick Kruger.
#3 Rohit Sharma (106 off 66)
India's 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit slammed 106 off 66 deliveries against South Africa in Dharamsala in October 2015. Sent into bat by the Proteas in the first T20I of the three-match series, the Men in Blue put up 199-5 on the board. Rohit led the charge for the hosts, smashing 12 fours and five sixes.
The opener's knock came against a decent South African bowling attack, which included Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, and Imran Tahir. But the right-handed batter's wonderful innings went in vain as the visitors chased down a target of 200 in 19.4 overs courtesy of Jean-Paul Duminy (68* off 34).
#2 Suryakumar Yadav (100 off 56)
Leading the Indian team in South Africa during the three-match series in December 2023, Suryakumar scored a typically flamboyant 100 off 56 balls at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The 360-degree batter's knock included seven fours and as many as eight sixes.
After deciding to field first, the hosts reduced the Men in Blue to 29-2. However, Suryakumar led from the front, adding 112 for the third wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal (60 off 41). India posted 201-7 on the board and then bundled out the Proteas for 95 in 13.5 overs.
Suryakumar's knock ensured India leveled the three-match series 1-1. The first match was abandoned, while South Africa won the second game. Suryakumar's innings came against a decent bowling attack comprising Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Nandre Burger.
#1 Suresh Raina (101 off 60)
Raina was the first Indian batter to score a T20I century. He achieved the feat against South Africa in the 2010 T20 World Cup group clash in Gros Islet. The aggressive left-handed batter clubbed 101 off only 60 balls, hitting nine fours and five sixes in his 85-minute knock.
The Men in Blue were sent into bat by the Proteas and got off to a poor start, losing their openers with only 32 runs on the board. Raina then added 88 runs for the third wicket with Yuvraj Singh (37 off 30). The southpaw played a dominant knock to lift India to 186-5 as they went on to win the game by 14 runs.
Raina's innings came against a bowling attack that included the legendary Dale Steyn, the dangerous Morne Morkel, and the great all-rounder Jacques Kallis. The Proteas also had proven T20 performers Albie Morkel and Roelof van der Merwe in their playing XI.