Tilak Varma becomes first player to smash three successive T20 centuries during SMAT

India batter Tilak Varma broke records following his explosive century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener against Meghalaya for Hyderabad, becoming the first-ever cricketer in men's or women's cricket to hit three successive T20 centuries.

He also registered the highest individual score in the history of the tournament, which was started in 2007. During the match, Tilak scored 151 in just 67 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 225.37. Tilak, 22, headed into the tournament following two successive tons against South Africa away from home, a 107* at Centurion and an unbeaten 120* at Johannesburg.

He became the 'Player of the Series' in the bilateral affair, with 280 runs in four matches at an average of 140.00 and a strike rate of almost 199. He also became the first Indian male player to have a 150-plus score in T20 cricket. In women's cricket, Kiran Navgire, playing for Maharashtra, scored 162 against Arunachal Pradesh while playing for Nagaland in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy in 2022, as per ESPNCricinfo.

Tilak batted at number three, smashing pacer Dippu Sangma for 50 in 18 balls with six fours and three sixes. Shreyas Iyer held the previous highest score in SMAT, smashing 147 in 71 balls, with seven fours and 15 sixes for Mumbai against Sikkim in 2019. Tilak is one of the five players retained by Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction for the 2025 season to be held from Sunday to Monday.

In 38 matches for the franchise since 2022, his debut season, he has scored 1,156 runs at an average of 39.86, with six fifties. His best score is 84*. He has scored at a strike rate of 146.32. In 13 matches last season, he scored 416 runs in 13 games, averaging 41.60 and striking at almost 150, with three fifties to his name. His best score was 65. (ANI)