Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma help maintain India's stellar T20 record in 2024

Tilak Varma hit a maiden international century as India held their nerve to beat South Africa by 11 runs in the third T20 International in Centurion on Wednesday and take an unassailable lead in the four-match series.

Varma, 22, smashed an unbeaten 107 off just 56 balls as India posted a massive score of 219-6. The world champions reached the score despite losing in-form opener Sanju Samson for a second-ball duck. Fellow opener Abhishek Sharma maintained the tempo by hitting 50 from 25 balls.

Varma and Abhishek put on 107 from 50 balls for the second wicket to lay the platform for the visitors as South Africa lacked discipline with the ball, conceding 10 wides and three no balls in the innings.

Varma reached his century from 51 deliveries as he struck eight fours and seven sixes.

South Africa were always behind in their chase in the face of some excellent spin bowling from Axar Patel (1-29 in four overs) and the wiles of seamer Arshdeep Singh (3-37), but a late flurry of runs got them close.

They managed 208-7 in reply. The hosts trail India 2-1 in the four-match series with the final game to be played in Johannesburg on Friday.

With the result, India maintained their superb run in T20 series this year. The team in blue have remained unbeaten in all series and tournaments this year, including their victorious campaign at the T20 World Cup where they did not lose a single match.

Under Rohit Sharma and now Suryakumar Yadav, India have lost just two out of 25 T20 matches played in 2024.

"I was waiting for this for a long time, coming back after injury," Varma told host broadcaster SuperSport, referring to a hand injury which restricted his playing time in 2024.

"I was just thinking I have got an opportunity to bat at number three and I just wanted to express myself. It was my dream and it was the right time to score a hundred for my team. A kind of a decider in the series. Under the pressure, it was a good knock."

In reply, South Africa struggled to get going. Ryan Rickelton was out bowled for 20 – playing onto his stumps off Arshdeep.

Early in the chase, play was stopped for an odd reason – flying ants. The game resumed 20 minutes later with no overs lost.

Reeza Hendricks scored 21 off 13 before he was out stumped off spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

The wrist spinner struck again as skipper Aiden Markram scored 29 off 18 – including two sixes – before he was out caught in the deep.

India had a firm grip on the game when Tristan Stubbs (12) was out lbw, before Heinrich Klaasen tried to turn the game around.

He hit four powerful sixes – three coming in a row against Chakravarthy. When he was caught on 41 at deep point off Arshdeep, the equation looked impossible for South Africa.

But all-rounder Marco Jansen struck five sixes and four fours in his first T20 half-century to bring the hosts close to the finish line.

Arshdeep trapped Jansen lbw in the final over to pull off a hard-fought win for the world champions.

The T20 series result comes at an opportune time for India who had recently been blanked 3-0 at home in a Test series by New Zealand. Their next assignment will be the five-Test series in Australia which starts later this month.