By Razeen Gutta
India’s bowlers outclassed South Africa in the third T20 international on Sunday, restricting the Proteas to a modest 117 before cruising to a seven-wicket victory in Dharamsala.
South Africa’s hopes of going ahead were dashed by their top-order collapse, with Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, and Dewald Brevis all falling cheaply.
Aiden Markram’s valiant 61 was the highlight of the South African innings, but wickets fell at regular intervals with Arshdeep Singh (2/13) and Harshit Rana (2/34) exploiting the swing and bounce of the wicket.
At the back end of the innings, spinners Varun Chakravarthy (2/11) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/12) made the ball talk to dismiss the visitors.
In response, Abhishek Sharma’s 35 from 18 balls set the tone for India’s chase; and despite a few setbacks, the hosts comfortably reached the target with 25 balls to spare.
Shubman Gill got a run-a-ball 28 before Tilak Sharma and Shivam Dube wrapped up the win.
The men in blue now have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
India’s victory was a comprehensive one, and they will look to take an unassailable lead in the series on Wednesday where South Africa will be faced with a must-win scenario in Lucknow.
Pictured above: Team India
Source: @bcci
