23-year-old Tilak Varma continues to climb from strength to strength in establishing himself as a bonafide finisher in the Indian T20I team. The most recent of his exploits came in the IND vs WI 2nd T20I.
The second game of the India vs West Indies T20I series was the second-highest-scoring match in men’s T20I history, as the West Indies chased down the target of 250 with, astonishingly, nine balls remaining.
West Indies captain and opener Shai Hope held one end and scored 102* off 45 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd blasted 84 (37) and 34* (13) respectively, from the other end.
Earlier in the night, India produced fireworks of their own after Hope won the toss and elected to field first. Sanju Samson once again relieved pressure from himself by whacking 82 off 41 balls; Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Shreyas Iyer thumped 40s at a quick rate as India came close to touching the 250-run mark.
Tilak Varma Moves Ahead Of Virat Kohli In Fastest To 5000 Runs T20 Record List During IND vs WI 2nd T20I
Tilak’s contribution from No. 6 was crucial in India’s innings, with the left-hander harrumphing 44* runs off 18 balls and finishing with a strike rate of 244. Varman hammered three fours and three sixes; all three of his maximums came in the 20th over, bowled by Shamar Springer.
Since the Asia Cup final last year, where he produced a spectacular knock under high pressure in a run-chase against Pakistan, Varma has emerged as one of the finest T20 finishers in the country. In T20 cricket this year, Varma has a strike rate of 232 in the death overs.
Meanwhile, during his explosive knock in Ranchi in the IND vs WI 2nd T20I, Varma displaced Virat Kohli from the fifth spot in the list of Indian batsmen, being the fastest to reach 5000 T20 runs in terms of innings.
Varma, who has played T20 cricket for India, Mumbai Indians, and Hyderabad, crossed the 5000-run marker in his 166th T20 innings. He jumped ahead of Kohli on this list: the former India captain touched this figure in his 167th knock in the shortest format.
Among Indians, KL Rahul is the quickest Indian batsman to 5000 runs, having attained this milestone in his 143th knock. Following him on this list are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Varma, and Kohli.
Indian batsmen fastest to 5000 T20 runs by innings
- KL Rahul – 143
- Ruturaj Gaikwad – 145
- Shubman Gill – 154
- Abhishek Sharma – 165
- Tilak Varma – 166
- Virat Kohli – 167
When is India vs West Indies 3rd T20I?
The third T20I of the India vs West Indies series is on Sunday, October 11, in Indore at the Holkar Stadium. The series currently is leveled at 1-1.
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