3rd T20I: Abhishek, Varun Star as India Beat South Africa by Seven Wickets, Take 2–1 Series Lead

Dharamsala, December 14:
In challenging, seam-friendly conditions at the HPCA Stadium, India produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat South Africa by seven wickets in the third T20I, moving ahead 2–1 in the five-match series.

India’s bowlers set the tone early, exploiting the helpful conditions to dismiss South Africa for just 117. The hosts then chased down the modest target with ease, reaching 120/3 with 25 balls remaining.

Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav were the standout performers with the ball, each claiming two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube chipped in with one apiece. South Africa never recovered after slipping to 30/4 within the first seven overs.

The chase was powered by an explosive start from Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 35 off just 18 balls, putting India firmly in control during the powerplay. Shubman Gill (28) and Tilak Varma (25 not out) found runs without complete fluency, while Suryakumar Yadav contributed 12. Abhishek’s early assault ensured the target remained well within reach, with Dube (10 not out) finishing the match in style.

Abhishek set the tone immediately, taking apart Lungi Ngidi in the opening over with a flurry of boundaries. He continued his aggressive approach before being dismissed by a sharp running catch from South Africa captain Aiden Markram at long-off, though by then India were comfortably ahead of the required rate.

Gill survived an early lbw appeal and struck a few crisp boundaries, while Tilak, promoted to No.3, kept the scoreboard ticking with clever placements. However, Gill’s stay ended in the 12th over when he chopped on against Marco Jansen. Suryakumar briefly counterattacked with consecutive boundaries off Ngidi before holing out in the deep. Dube sealed the win with a towering six and a boundary off Ottniel Baartman.

Earlier, Markram stood tall for South Africa with a composed 61 off 46 balls, but received little support as only Donovan Ferreira (20) and Anrich Nortje (12) reached double figures. India’s bowling attack remained relentless despite missing key players Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel.

Arshdeep provided the early breakthrough, trapping Reeza Hendricks lbw after beating him repeatedly with movement. Rana followed up by dismissing Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis in quick succession. Pandya reached the milestone of 100 T20I wickets when Tristan Stubbs edged behind, while Dube bowled Corbin Bosch with a sharp delivery that cut back in.

Ferreira attempted a brief counterattack but was undone by Varun Chakravarthy’s googly, who then added Marco Jansen to his tally. Markram brought up his fifty with a flurry of boundaries, but his resistance ended when he edged Arshdeep to the wicketkeeper. Kuldeep wrapped up the innings in the final over by removing Nortje and Baartman.

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