By Razeen Gutta
In the fifth and final T20 International at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, India sealed their 8th consecutive T20 series win, defeating South Africa 3-1.
The hosts posted a mammoth 231/5, fueled by explosive fifties from Tilak Varma (73 off 42 balls, 10 fours, 1 six) and Hardik Pandya (63 off 25 balls, 5 sixes, 5 fours).
Their 105-run partnership in 44 balls dismantled the Proteas’ bowling attack, with Lungi Ngidi the lone economical bowler (0-29, 4 overs).
Chasing 232, South Africa faltered to 201/8, losing by 30 runs.
Varun Chakravarthy (4-53) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-17) stifled the chase, while Quinton de Kock’s 65 kept hopes alive briefly.
India’s depth and firepower proved unstoppable.
This victory underscores India’s T20 dominance, blending youth (Varma, Abhishek Sharma) with experience (Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav).
“From the start of the series, we wanted to stick to a particular brand of cricket and we did exactly that. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted to express ourselves in all departments and the results are right there in front of everyone,” Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said post-match.
“Yeah, this is something we felt was missing in our last few series. This is exactly how we wanted to bat, once someone gets going, they don’t stop. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully.”
The win marked India’s eighth consecutive T20 international series victory since December 2023, extending their strong build-up to February’s T20 World Cup at home.
Pictured above: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav with the series trophy
Source: @bcci
