India's T20I series against South Africa in November proved to be a coming-of-age moment for Tilak Varma as he scored a century in the third and fourth matches of the series to inspire India to a 3-1 series victory over the home team under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy.

After mixed returns in the first two games, the Indian skipper revealed that Tilak requested him to bat at number three. This meant that Surykumar sacrificed his own batting position and demoted himself to number four. The 22-year-old made the most of the chance with unbeaten knocks of 107 and 120.

It is expected that Tilak will walk out to bat at number three once again for India during the series opener against England at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday (January 22). On a batting-friendly track in Kolkata, the youngster has the chance to create a massive world record.

The young Indian sensation can become the first player in history to score a T20I century in three consecutive innings if he manages to get a three-figure score once again.

Player	Opponents	Scores	Year
Gustan McKeon (France)	Switzerland, Norway	101, 109	2022
Riley Rossouw (South Africa)	India, Bangladesh	100*, 109	2022
Phil Salt (England)	West Indies	109*, 119	2023
Sanju Samson (India)	Bangladesh, South Africa	111,107	2024
Tilak Verma (India)	South Africa	107*, 120*	2024

Post his back-to-back tons in South Africa, Tilak scored a century in the opening match of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Hyderabad against Meghalaya in Rajkot. This made him the first player in history to score three tons in a row in T20 cricket. The Mumbai Indians (MI) star has the chance to complete the same feat in international cricket.

With the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant rested for the T20I series against England and focussing on the longer formats, Tilak has a chance to cement his place in the national team in the shortest format.

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