Twitter Reactions: Samson and Tilak slam centuries as Wanderers rises up to batting masterclass

Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma hammered thrilling hundreds against a helpless South African bowling lineup as the Indian hitters put on a show in the fourth Twenty20 International at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15.

After Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to bat first, Samson, who had two consecutive ducks in the next two games after his century in the first T20I, got off to a fast start off the third ball. Reeza Hendricks was given a chance by Abhishek Sharma to slip off the first ball he faced, but the fielder was unable to catch on. The Indian opening pair scored 73 runs off just 35 balls during the powerplay, making this drop extremely costly for the Proteas.

Tilak Varma, who made an incredible century in the last game, was summoned to the crease after Abhishek was removed by a brief delivery from Lutho Sipamla.

Together, the two batters scored 16 runs off the first 13 balls before exploding. The start of something extraordinary from the two in-form Indian batsmen began when Keshav Maharaj let up 19 runs in the ninth over.

As the South African bowlers were unable to respond to the assault, Samson and Tilak smashed boundaries at free. In the tenth over, Aiden Markram brought in part-timer Tristan Stubbs, who was greeted by Samson with two straight sixes. As 21 came off the over, Tilak also contributed with a string of successive boundaries.

In the same over, Samson sped to his half-century off just 30 balls. All of the Proteas bowlers vanished to different parts of the pitch, giving the impression that the two batters were enjoying a range-hitting session in the middle. The wicketkeeper-batter reached the milestone with just 51 balls, smashing his third T20I century in five games. In the meantime, Tilak was batting on 95 when Marco Jansen gave him a respite. The southpaw took full advantage of it, scoring his second consecutive century off only 41 balls in the penultimate over.

India finished with an incredible 283/1 in their 20 overs, driven by the two players’ incredible 210-run partnership off 86 deliveries. Samson smashed six fours and nine sixes before finishing at 109* off 56 deliveries. With a knock that included nine fours and ten sixes, Tilak was still undefeated at 120 off 47 balls.

Also Read: Watch: Sanju Samson’s six hits woman during 4th T20I, video goes viral

The home team’s incredible hitting display included 17 fours and 23 maximums. It will be extremely difficult for South Africa to win this match and keep India from winning the series.

Check out how ‘X’ users reacted to India’s blitzkrieg at The Wanderers: