During the third T20 match against South Africa in Dharamshala on Sunday, 14 December, Team India’s young batsman Tilak Verma broke the record of veteran batsman Virat Kohli. The left-handed batsman became the player with the highest batting average in the T20I run chase following the Men in Blue’s seven-wicket win.
During the run chase, Tilak came to bat at number three. The southpaw played calmly and helped the team reach the target without any pressure. He scored unbeaten 25 runs in 34 balls with the help of just three fours. The host team completed the target of 118 runs with 25 balls remaining and seven wickets remaining.
Tilak Verma overtakes Virat Kohli in T20I run chase
Tilak Verma’s record while batting at number two in T20 International is excellent. He has left Virat Kohli behind in terms of average and is on top among the batsmen who have scored at least 500 runs while chasing the target.
Tilak has scored more than 500 runs in just 16 T20I innings while chasing, his average is close to 68, with his best score being 72 not out. Kohli set elite standards by scoring over 2,000 runs in 48 innings. India might have found another reliable match-winner.
Highest average in T20I run chase (min 500 runs):
| player | batting average |
|---|---|
| Tilak Verma | 68.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 67.10 |
| ms dhoni | 47.71 |
| JP Duminy | 45.55 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 44.93 |
Tilak Verma sets new benchmark with record average against South Africa
Tilak added another big milestone with his latest performance against South Africa. He averages over 70 against the Proteas. Verma has the best average ever by an Indian batsman against a single opponent in this format, surpassing Virat Kohli’s long-standing record against Pakistan.
Highest average against a team in T20I (minimum 300 runs):
| player | rival | average |
|---|---|---|
| Tilak Verma | South Africa | 70.50 |
| Virat Kohli | Pakistan | 70.28 |
| Virat Kohli | Sri Lanka | 67.80 |
| KL Rahul | west indies | 58.83 |
| Virat Kohli | west indies | 57.00 |
India takes 2-1 lead with easy win in Dharamshala
Talking about the match, India got an easy victory over South Africa in the third T20 match in Dharamsala. India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with an all-round performance.
South Africa struggled badly with the bat on a pitch that favored the bowlers. India’s pace and spin attack combined to create early pressure, reducing the visitors’ score to 30 for 4. South Africa were never able to find any rhythm and were all out for only 117 runs.
Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey also contributed.
In reply, India got off to a great start thanks to Abhishek Sharma, who attacked during the powerplay and immediately eased the pressure. The middle order did not score runs quickly, but due to the strong start the target was never in doubt.
India chased the target easily and finished the match with plenty of balls and wickets in hand. The fourth T20 match of the five-match series will be held on Wednesday, December 17 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Also read: New Zealand team announced for the third Test against West Indies; Ajaz Patel and Tom Blundell return
