Twitter Reactions: India win series vs South Africa on the back of Samson, Tilak tons

At The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15, visiting team India defeated South Africa in the fourth and final Twenty20 International to win the series 3-1. A huge 135-run victory for the tourists was made possible by Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson’s incredible centuries.

Suryakumar Yadav chose to bat first after winning the toss for the first time in the series. With a 73-run partnership in 5.5 overs, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave their team a strong start. After the latter was out for 36 off 18 balls, Tilak Varma came to the crease. Carrying the confidence from his century in the previous game, the southpaw exuded class from the first moment.

Samson and Tilak established an incredible 210-run stand off just 86 balls, completely dominating the South African bowlers. The wicketkeeper-batter needed just 51 balls to reach his third T20I century in five games. He finally struck six fours and nine sixes in a knock that saw him finish undefeated at 109 off 56 balls. In the meantime, Tilak needed just 41 balls to reach the elusive three-figure milestone. During his 120* from 47 deliveries, the Hyderabad batsman hit nine fours and ten sixes.

At the end of their 20 overs, the Men in Blue scored an incredible 283/1. With an economy rate of 10.50, Marco Jansen was the most cost-effective bowler for South Africa. The level of destruction inflicted by the three Indian hitters during the first inning is confirmed by this.

Too hot to handle for South Africa is Arshdeep Singh.

Reeza Hendricks was lost in the opening over, giving South Africa a terrible start. In the second over, Ryan Rickelton was out, and in the third over, Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram were out. Arshdeep Singh capitalised on the swing available under the lights, taking three of the four wickets.

David Miller and Tristan Stubbs worked well together to postpone the inevitable at 10/4, when the Proteas were on the verge of a disastrous loss. For the fifth wicket, they scored 86 runs off 54 balls as Miller, for the first time in the series, got his timing correct. However, the Proteas fell to 96/6 as both batsmen were removed off consecutive deliveries. Shortly after, Andile Simelane left, with India within three wickets away from winning the series.

Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen both pushed the envelope to offer the South African supporters something to cheer for. Coetzee and Keshav Maharaj were both removed by Axar Patel, who was brought on in the sixteenth over.

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

Lutho Sipamla was defeated by Ramandeep Singh, who demonstrated his bowling prowess by ending the South African innings at 148 in 18.2 overs.

Here’s how ‘X’ users reacted to India’s 135-run win to bag the series: