Post by : Mariam
Al-Faris
India secured a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20 match at HPCA Stadium, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Batting first, South Africa struggled on a seam-friendly pitch and were bowled out for 117. Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube claimed one wicket each. The visitors slipped to 30-4 inside seven overs, leaving captain Aiden Markram (61 off 46 balls) as the main resistance. Only Donovan Ferreira (20) and Anrich Nortje (12) offered some support.
India’s chase was powered by a brisk start from Abhishek Sharma, who scored 35 from 18 balls during the powerplay. Shubman Gill contributed 28 runs, Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 25, while Suryakumar Yadav added 12. India reached 120 for three in just 15.5 overs, securing the win with 25 balls to spare. Early breakthroughs by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana set the tone for India’s bowling, as Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, and Dewald Brevis fell quickly.
Hardik Pandya achieved a milestone by taking his 100th T20I wicket, dismissing Tristan Stubbs, while Dube removed Corbin Bosch. Chakravarthy bowled out Marco Jansen and also removed Ferreira to keep pressure on the visitors. Kuldeep Yadav wrapped up the innings by dismissing Nortje and Ottniel Baartman in the final over.
India’s victory highlighted the strength of its bowling attack in cool conditions, combining swing, seam, and spin to restrict South Africa to a low total. The win gives India a strong advantage in the series, with two matches remaining.
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