Daijiworld Media Network - Dharamsala

Dharamsala, Dec 15: Exploiting cold conditions and a seam-friendly pitch to perfection, India cruised to a dominant seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday, taking a 2–1 lead in the five-match series.

After a disciplined bowling display bundled South Africa out for a modest 117, India made light work of the chase, reaching the target with 25 balls to spare. The hosts’ bowlers shared the spoils evenly, with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav picking up two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube chipped in with one apiece. South Africa were left reeling early, collapsing to 30 for 4 inside the first seven overs.

India’s reply was set up by a blistering start from Abhishek Sharma, who hammered 35 off just 18 deliveries during the powerplay. Though Shubman Gill (28), Suryakumar Yadav (12) and Tilak Varma (25 not out) found run-scoring difficult on a lively surface, Abhishek’s early onslaught ensured there were no alarms. Shivam Dube (10 not out) sealed the victory with a couple of cleanly struck blows.

Abhishek set the tone immediately, tearing into Lungi Ngidi in the opening over with a six and two boundaries. He continued to attack until Aiden Markram produced a sharp running catch at long-off, but by then India were comfortably ahead of the required rate.

Gill showed brief resistance, surviving an lbw scare and finding the fence a few times, while Tilak Varma played a supporting role after being promoted to number three. However, Gill never looked settled and eventually chopped on against Marco Jansen. Suryakumar injected momentary flair with two boundaries off Ngidi before perishing in the deep. Dube then finished proceedings in style with a towering six and a pull shot for four.

Earlier, South Africa’s innings revolved almost entirely around skipper Aiden Markram, who struck a fighting 61 off 46 balls. He received little support, with only Donovan Ferreira (20) and Anrich Nortje (12) managing double figures. Despite missing Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel, India’s bowling unit remained relentless.

Arshdeep struck with the new ball, trapping Reeza Hendricks lbw after consistently beating him for movement. Rana followed up by dismissing Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis in quick succession, while Pandya reached the milestone of 100 T20I wickets by removing Tristan Stubbs.

Dube and Chakravarthy continued the stranglehold, and although Ferreira briefly counter-attacked, he was undone by a googly from Chakravarthy. Markram brought up a well-crafted fifty with a flurry of boundaries, but his resistance ended when he edged Arshdeep behind. Kuldeep Yadav wrapped up the innings in the final over, leaving South Africa short of 120.

Brief Scores:

South Africa 117 all out (Aiden Markram 61, Donovan Ferreira 20; Varun Chakravarthy 2/11, Kuldeep Yadav 2/12)
India 120/3 in 15.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 35, Shubman Gill 28; Corbin Bosch 1/18, Lungi Ngidi 1/23)
India won by seven wickets