Johannesburg [South Africa], November 16 : Indian stars Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma, key architects of India's comprehensive series win over South Africa, extended their best wishes to ODI and Test skipper Rohit Sharma, who welcomed his second child with wife Ritika on Friday.
Twin centuries from Tilak and Sanju powered India to a commanding total of 283 runs. A brilliant all-round performance then helped India secure the fourth and final T20I by a massive 135-run margin, sealing the series 3-1. The day became even more special for Indian cricket as Rohit celebrated the arrival of his second child.
In a video shared by the BCCI, Tilak, who shares a close bond with Rohit and his family, expressed his happiness: "Really very happy for you, Rohit bhai. We were waiting for this moment, and had it been 1-2 days later, I would have joined you there. I am coming soon."
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Skipper Suryakumar humorously remarked about the arrival of a "new cricketer" in Rohit's family, saying, "Now we have to get ready with a small side arm and small pads as a new cricketer has arrived."
Sanju Samson also shared his joy, saying, "Super happy for chetta (elder brother in Malayalam) and his family."
Rohit and Ritika announced the birth of their child on Saturday. Taking to Instagram, Rohit shared that their family of three had now grown to four, referencing the popular sitcom 'Friends': "The FAMILY, the one where we are four." He captioned the post with the date "15.11.2024," marking the birth of their newborn. The couple's elder daughter, Samaira, was born in 2018.
Rohit skipped the team's travel to Perth for the Border-Gavaskar series opener due to the birth of his child. With less than a week remaining before the series begins, it is still unclear whether Rohit will feature in the opening Test against Australia.
Reflecting on his twin hundreds, Tilak expressed gratitude to Suryakumar for the opportunity: "What do I say? I cannot express it in words. There are a lot of emotions. I am feeling good. I did not think I would score back-to-back centuries in T20Is, and that too in South Africa. Thank you for the opportunity."
Suryakumar joked about Tilak's long hair, likening him to Telugu film star Allu Arjun. Tilak responded, "I like the feel of flaunting long hair while removing the helmet."
In the match, India opted to bat first after winning the toss. Abhishek Sharma's quickfire 36 off 18 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes, set the tone. Tilak (120* off 47 balls) and Sanju Samson (109* off 56 balls, with six fours and nine sixes) then dismantled the South African bowling attack with an unbeaten 210-run partnership, taking India to a mammoth 283/1.
Chasing the target, South Africa crumbled under scoreboard pressure. Despite brief resistance from Tristan Stubbs (43 off 29 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and David Miller (36 off 27 balls, with two fours and three sixes), the hosts were bowled out for 148 in 18.2 overs, suffering their largest-ever T20I defeat by 135 runs.
Arshdeep Singh was India's standout bowler with figures of 3/20. Varun Chakravarty and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each, while Ravi Bishnoi, Ramandeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya took one apiece.
Tilak Varma was named 'Player of the Match' for his stellar performance.