In the third Twenty20 International at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, India put on a dominant display to defeat South Africa by seven wickets, establishing a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
After winning the toss, captain Suryakumar Yadav decided to bowl first. This choice paid off right away, as India’s bowlers skillfully took advantage of the circumstances to limit South Africa to a meek 117 all out in 20 overs.
After falling to 7/3 in the first three overs, the Proteas had a terrible start. Harshit Rana dismissed Quinton de Kock (1) and Dewald Brevis (2), while Arshdeep Singh dismissed Reeza Hendricks for a duck in the first over.
By dismissing Tristan Stubbs (9), Hardik Pandya took his 100th T20I wicket and reduced South Africa to 30/4.With a tenacious 61 off 46 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes), Aiden Markram fought bravely, but the rest of the lineup did little to help him.
Anrich Nortje added twelve, while Donovan Ferreira added twenty. Arshdeep (2/13) and Rana (2/34) led the pace attack, while Varun Chakaravarthy (2/11) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/12) were outstanding in the middle overs.
India easily chased down the target of 118 in response, reaching 120/3 in just 15.5 overs. Together with Shubman Gill (28 off 28), Abhishek Sharma scored 35 off 18 balls (3 fours and 3 sixes) to put on 60 for the first wicket.
Following Abhishek’s demise, captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 12 before falling, while Tilak Varma led the innings with an undefeated 25 from 34 balls. Shivam Dube, who remained undefeated on 10 off 4 balls, including a six and a four, secured the win in spectacular fashion.
With 68 runs in the first six overs, India controlled the powerplay and laid the groundwork for a convincing victory.After the series was tied 1-1, India had recovered well with this win. On December 17, the teams will travel to Lucknow for the fourth Twenty20 International.
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