Tilak Varma smashes Virat Kohli's record for most runs by an Indian in T20I bilateral series

Indian cricketer Tilak Varma achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing Virat Kohli's record for the most runs scored by an Indian player in a T20I bilateral series.

Varma achieved the milestone during the fourth and final T201 against South Africa which was held in Johannesburg. 

He smashed an unbeaten 120 runs off just 47 balls, including nine fours and 10 sixes, at an extraordinary strike rate of 255.32. 

Winning the tag of 'Player of the Series', Tilak concluded the series as the top run-scorer, amassing 280 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 140 and a strike rate exceeding 198, with two centuries to his name.  

Kohli had scored 231 runs in a five-match series against England at an average of 115.50 and a strike rate of 147.13, with three half-centuries and a top score of 80. 

In the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. After Abhishek Sharma's quickfire 36 off 18 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes, Tilak (120* off 47 balls) and Sanju Samson (109* off 56 balls, with six fours and nine sixes) demolished the South African bowling attack with an unbeaten 210-run partnership, propelling India to a mammoth total of 283/1.

In response, South Africa struggled to cope with the scoreboard pressure and was bowled out for 148 runs in 18.2 overs, suffering their largest-ever defeat in T20ls by a margin of 135 runs.