Despite losing wickets in the final overs, Tilak stayed calm and took India to victory in 19.2 overs
26 January, 2025
PHOTO: AFP
Indian batter Tilak Varma continued his excellent form, smashing an unbeaten 72 to guide India to a thrilling two-wicket win over England in the second T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Tilak, 22, faced 55 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes as India chased down a target of 166 runs. His match-winning knock earned him the Player of the Match award and set a new milestone in T20I cricket.
With this innings, Tilak became the first player from a full-member nation to score over 300 runs in T20Is without being dismissed. His last four innings include scores of 107*, 120*, 19*, and 72*, giving him a total of 318 runs. This breaks the previous record held by New Zealand’s Mark Chapman, who had scored 271 runs between two dismissals.
Most Runs Between Two Dismissals in T20Is (Full Member Nations):
- 318: Tilak Varma (India) – 107*, 120*, 19*, 72*
- 271: Mark Chapman (New Zealand) – 65*, 16*, 71*, 104*, 15
- 240: Aaron Finch (Australia) – 68*, 172
- 240: Shreyas Iyer (India) – 57*, 74*, 73*, 36
- 239: David Warner (Australia) – 100*, 60*, 57*, 2*, 20
Tilak also surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs by an Indian in four consecutive T20I innings. Kohli had scored 258 runs in 2014-15, while Tilak’s total of 318 now tops the list.
India’s chase wasn’t easy, as the team struggled at 78/5 at one stage. Tilak then formed a crucial 38-run partnership with Washington Sundar, who scored 26 off 19 balls, to bring India back into the game.
Despite losing wickets in the final overs, Tilak stayed calm and took India to victory in 19.2 overs. England’s Brydon Carse was their best bowler, taking 3/29, while Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton, and Liam Livingstone each picked up a wicket.
