‘I was waiting for this moment for a long time’ - Tilak Varma reflects on his maiden international ton

Young India batter Tilak Varma lit the stage on fire with his emphatic performance against South Africa in the third T20I of the ongoing four-game series. South Africa and India locked horns at the SuperSport Park, Centurion, on Wednesday, November 13. 

The same saw India come in to bat first, with Tilak Varma coming to the side’s rescue after some early dismissals. Completing his century, Varma became the second youngest batter to score a T20I century. 

The star batter put in an excellent performance throughout the first innings, scoring 107* runs in 56 deliveries, helping India post 219 runs in the first innings of the game. His performance helped him win the Player of the Match award, and he also came forward to reflect on his showing.

“Really very happy. I was waiting for this moment for a long time. Coming after injury and scoring a hundred, it is incredible. It was challenging at the start - the wicket was two-paced. After that, it went well. I tried to hold my shape and was trying to focus on the basics,” Varma said during the mid-innings break. 

Also Read: Twitter Reactions: Tilak Varma registers maiden T20I century in Centurion

"We (Abhishek and me) both were under pressure and this knock was important for both of us. We talked about following the basics. Our spinners are bowling well. We were looking at 200-210, so we have a good total on the board, hoping for the win," he added. 

Played the brand of cricket that we wanted to play: Suryakumar Yadav

After posting a total of 219 runs, India found themselves in a spot of bother after Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen put in excellent performances in the second innings, bringing the hosts very close to chasing the target. However, Arshdeep Singh’s final limited the Proteas as India won the game by 11 runs. 

After the clash, skipper Suryakumar Yadav came forward and talked about his side’s performance. “Very happy. What we spoke about in the team meetings, we played the brand of cricket that we wanted to play. (How the young players take on the message of being fearless) That is what we have been telling them to do - similar to what they have been doing in the nets, for their franchises and their states. Even if they miss out in a few innings, they back their intent and their game,” Surya said.