Young Tilak Varma's purple patch continued in domestic cricket as he smashed a record-breaking 151 in Hyderabad's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 campaign opener against Meghalaya at Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C, Rajkot. Varma became the first batter in T20 cricket's history to score three consecutive centuries in the format.
The 22-year-old was promoted to no.3 by captain Suryakumar Yadav in South Africa. He scored 107 not out in Centurion and followed it up with an unbeaten 120 in Johannesburg. More than a week later, he scored 151 runs from 67 balls against Meghalaya.
The southpaw broke an all-time SMAT record. The previous highest score in SMAT belonged to Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer who scored 147 runs from 55 balls against Sikkim in 2019. For a Hyderabad batter, the previous record belonged to Varma. He scored an unbeaten 121 against Baroda in the previous edition.
Another sensational knock for Varma
Varma's knock was laced with 14 fours and 10 sixes. He batted with a stupendous strike rate of 225.37. He lost his wicket off the final ball of the innings.
Earlier, he walked out to bat in the first over of the innings after Rahul Singh Gahlaut departed. Opener Tanmay Agarwal and Varma shared a 122-run stand. Agarwal scored 55 runs from 23 balls including four fours and five sixes. After the halfway stage, Buddhi Rahul played second fiddle to Varma and scored 30 runs from 23 deliveries including two fours and a six. In the end, Mickil Jaiswal remained unbeaten for seven runs from four balls.
Hyderabad posted 248/4, their highest total in SMAT. Overall, it is the fifth-highest score in SMAT. Punjab hold the record with 275/6 against Andhra Pradesh in 2023.
Meghalaya's collapse, Hyderabad equal massive record
In reply, Meghalaya could not put up a fight. From 43/1, they were bowled out for 69. G Anikethreddy claimed four wickets for 11 runs. Tanay Thyagarajan took three wickets for 15 runs. Arpit Shubhas (27) and Jaskirat (16) registered double-digit scores as Meghalaya's innings ended in 15.1 overs and they lost by 179 runs. This is the joint-highest win in SMAT history. In 2019, Andhra Pradesh beat Nagaland by 179 runs after posting 245 on the board.
