India batter Tilak Varma scored his first-ever T20I century on Wednesday during the third T20I against South Africa in Centurion, becoming the second-youngest Indian to do so.
India were put in to bat by South African captain Aiden Markram, and were rocked early when Sanju Samson was dismissed off the second ball of the innings to register his second duck in a row, bringing Tilak Varma to the crease.
In partnership with Abhishek Sharma, Tilak took India to 70-1 by the end of the Powerplay. After Abhishek, and then Suryakumar Yadav, perished in quick succession, he guided India through the innings, reaching his half-century in the 13th over, off 32 balls.
Read more: Injury prone Australia speedster in possible BGT contention ahead of mooted red-ball return
Thereafter, he accelerated in some style, his next 13 balls yielding 37 runs as he took down Keshav Maharaj and Gerald Coetzee. Tilak crossed the three-figure mark with a boundary straight down the ground off Lutho Sipamla in the 19th over, getting there off 51 deliveries. He finished unbeaten on 107, off 56 balls.
It was Tilak's first century in T20I cricket, and in fact his first in international cricket. At the age of 22 years and 5 days, he is the second-youngest Indian to do so.
Youngest centurions in men's T20Is, full list
The youngest Indian to score a T20I century is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who did so at the age of 21 years and 279 days against Nepal during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Tilak is the second-youngest man to score a T20I century against an ICC Full Member nation, with Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai the youngest thanks to his 162* against Ireland in 2019, aged 20 years and 337 days.
France's Gustav Mckeon is the youngest player ever to score a century in men's T20Is, having done so for the first time at 18 years 280 days against Switzerland in July 2022. He followed it up with another century two days later, which also makes him one of only four players to score back-to-back T20I centuries.
| Player | Team | Score | Age | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| Gustav Mckeon | France | 109 | 18y 280d | Switzerland | Vantaa | 25 Jul 2022 |
| Gustav Mckeon | France | 101 | 18y 282d | Norway | Kerava | 27 Jul 2022 |
| Kushal Malla | Nepal | 137* | 19y 206d | Mongolia | Hangzhou | 27 Sep 2023 |
| Michael Levitt | Netherlands | 135 | 20y 255d | Namibia | Kirtipur | 29 Feb 2024 |
| Hazratullah Zazai | Afghanistan | 162* | 20y 337d | Ireland | Dehradun | 23 Feb 2019 |
| Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake | Japan | 134* | 21y 116d | China | Mong Kok | 15 Feb 2024 |
| Sivakumar Periyalwar | Romania | 105* | 21y 161d | Turkey | Ilfov County | 29 Aug 2019 |
| Orchide Tuyisenge | Rwanda | 100* | 21y 190d | Seychelles | Rwanda | 19 Oct 2021 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 100 | 21y 279d | Nepal | Hangzhou | 3 Oct 2023 |
| Tilak Varma | India | 107* | 22y 5d | South Africa | Centurion | 13 Nov 2024 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 100 | 22y 31d | U.A.E. | Sharjah | 29 Dec 2023 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | Nepal | 110* | 22y 68d | Malaysia | Kirtipur | 2 Apr 2022 |
| Sabawoon Davizi | Czech Republic | 101 | 22y 120d | Malta | Marsa | 20 Oct 2019 |
| Ahmed Shehzad | Pakistan | 111* | 22y 127d | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 30 Mar 2014 |
| Matthew Spoors | Canada | 108* | 22y 288d | Philippines | Al Amerat | 18 Feb 2022 |
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
