Tilak Varma Becomes 3rd Fastest Indian After Ruturaj Gaikwad And KL Rahul To...

Tilak Varma came out to bat at No. 3 for India in the third T20I against South Africa on Sunday (December 14) and remained unbeaten on 25 runs from 34 balls. During his stay at the crease in the fixture that India won by 7 wickets, Tilak hammered three fours. Apart from leading India to a memorable win over the South African team, Tilak also completed 4000 runs in T20s on Sunday.

The left-handed batter from Hyderabad, who was playing his 133rd T20 match on Sunday, became the third fastest Indian batter after Ruturaj Gaikwad and KL Rahul to reach the 4000-run mark in the 20-over format of the game.

Gaikwad, who also has a T20I century to his credit, needed 116 innings to reach the 4000-run mark in T20s, whereas Rahul scored his 4000th T20 run in his 117th

innings. On the other hand, Tilak reached the 4000-run mark in 125 innings.

Fastest Indians to score 4000 runs in T20s

• 116 – Ruturaj Gaikwad
• 117 – KL Rahul
• 125 – Tilak Varma
• 129 – Shubman Gill
• 138 – Virat Kohli

Tilak added 32 runs for the second wicket with Shubman Gill (28 runs from 28 balls) in the third T20I.

Hardik creates history

Hardik Pandya entered his name in the history books on Sunday by becoming the first fast-bowling all-rounder in the world to take 100 wickets and also score 1000 runs in T20Is. Hardik, who was playing his 123rd T20I match for India on Sunday against South Africa at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, picked up his 100th T20I wicket in the form of Tristan Stubbs.

Stubbs was caught behind by Jitesh Sharma on the last ball of the 7th over of South Africa’s innings. He made 9 runs from 13 balls.

Before Hardik, four players – Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Sikandar Raza and Virandeep Singh – have scored 1000 runs and also dismissed 100 batters in T20Is, but all of them are spin-bowling all-rounders.

The legendary Indian all-rounder is also the fourth cricketer in the world to complete the treble of 1000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 sixes in T20Is.