Tilak Varma boasts best average against SA in T20Is: Stats
What's the story
Albeit in a losing cause, Indian batting sensation Tilak Varma scored a brilliant 62 runs off just 34 balls in the second T20I against South Africa in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The innings included five sixes and two fours, marking his third 50-plus T20I score against SA. However, despite Varma's stellar performance, India lost the match by 51 runs after failing to chase down a target of 214 runs. On this note, we decode Varma's stellar T20I numbers against SA.
Career stats
An average of 66.16 against SA
As per ESPNcricinfo, Varma has scored a whopping 397 runs across eight T20Is against South Africa at an impressive average of 66.16 (two centuries and one half-century). This is the best average among batters with at least 250 runs against the Proteas. New Zealand's Martin Guptill (53) and Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan (51.33) are the only other batters with an average of 44-plus in this regard.
DYK
Only batter with this feat
India's away T20I series against SA last year saw Varma hammer two successive centuries - a 47-ball 120* in Johannesburg and a 56-ball 107* in Centurion. Varma's teammate Sanju Samson is the only other batter with multiple T20I hundreds against the Proteas team (2). Meanwhile, Pakistan's Babar Azam (122 in Centurion, 2021) and England's Philip Salt (141* in Manchester, 2025) are the only batters with a higher individual T20I score against SA than Varma.
Career
Here are his overall T20I stats
With his latest effort, Varma has raced to 1,084 runs in T20Is at 47.13 from 38 matches (35 innings). His strike rate of 145.50 is also impressive. The one in Mullanpur was his 5th fifty (100s: 2). Rohit Sharma (5), Suryakumar Yadav (4), Samson (3), KL Rahul (2), and Abhishek Sharma (2) are the only other Indians with multiple T20I hundreds.