South Africa made the Indian batsmen work for their runs defending a target of 118 but a four and a six from Shivam Dube sealed the deal as the hosts won the third T20I by seven wickets in Dharamshala and took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. India’s bowlers took the South African batting lineup apart and a masterful knock from captain Aiden Markram helped them recover to a score of 117 all out.
It initially looked like it would be a romp home for India when Abhishek Sharma was going big guns in his 60-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill. However, South Africa pulled it back after the opener fell and India ended up taking 15.5 overs to finish off the chase.
Earlier, Aiden Markram’s brilliant 61 off 46 balls helped saved the blushes somewhat for South Africa, although India’s fast bowlers early dents led to them ultimately being bowled out for a below par 117. Leading India’s show with early wickets were Arshdeep Singh (2/13), Harshit Rana (2/34) and Hardik Pandya (1/23) after the hosts chose to bowl.
The pacers made the most of the cool conditions in Dharamshala, producing lethal swing and lateral movement with the new ball. South Africa found themselves with just seven runs on the board for the loss as many as three wickets and ended up with a score of 25/3 at the end of the powerplay.
To be updated…