🏏South Africa tour of India 2025: India vs SA - 3rd T20I🏏 - Page 18

In reply, Abhishek Sharma was off to flier again while Gill took his time. India raced away to 68 in the Powerplay. It just seemed like a formality with such a modest target in front of them, but South Africa did manage to slow the scoring rate before India eventually got a boundary after 27 balls to get the car rolling again.

Most wickets for South Africa in T20Is

89 - Tabraiz Shamsi

77 - Lungi Ngidi*

77 - KG Rabada

64 - Dale Steyn

61 - Imran Tahir

The win was slightly delayed but India still got home comfortably. Winning the toss proved decisive, with India’s pacers exploiting the conditions to perfection, swinging the new ball both ways in the Powerplay. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana bowled relentless lines and lengths to dismantle the South African top order early, leaving the visitors in disarray inside the first six overs. Barring Aiden Markram, none of the South African batters looked at ease against the moving ball. Even as it softened, India refused to release the pressure as wickets continued to fall with Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube chipping in, while the spinners applied the squeeze through the middle overs. It was Markram’s resolute 61 that gave South Africa some respectability, helping them limp closer to the 120-run mark at the halfway stage.

In reply, Abhishek Sharma was off to flier again while Gill took his time. India raced away to 68 in the Powerplay. It just seemed like a formality with such a modest target in front of them, but South Africa did manage to slow the scoring rate before India eventually got a boundary after 37 balls to get the car rolling again.

Niket: What if Abhishek Sharma didn't exist in this side? His fearless intent upfront has masked a lot of issues. Without him, India would be heavily reliant on conservative starts, making the middle-order stagnation even more glaring. Right now, Abhishek feels less like a luxury and more like a safety net, that's not an ideal place to be for a team heading into a World Cup.

Varun Chakravarthy wasn't aware he got past 50 T20I wickets It was doing a bit for the seamers. Other than that, tough conditions. Never played in a ground that's this chill. We had a bowling meeting and some honest conversations. Credit to management and bowlers for a two-way conversation. I was trying to stick to my strength. The ball was skidding more than turning, that's what I tried to do it.

Varun Chakravarthy wasn't aware he got past 50 T20I wickets It was doing a bit for the seamers. Other than that, tough conditions. Never played in a ground that's this chill. We had a bowling meeting and some honest conversations. Credit to management and bowlers for a two-way conversation. I was trying to stick to my strength. The ball was skidding more than turning, that's what I tried to do it.

Varun Chakaravarthy: I actually wasn’t aware of the milestone, so thank you for telling me. It was doing a bit early on when the fast bowlers were bowling, there was some seam movement. But overall, the conditions were very tough. I’ve never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging. (Laughs) No, not at all. This (chilly weather) can never happen in Chennai. We had a proper bowling meeting and some very honest conversations. We identified where we went wrong and focused on the right approach. Credit has to go to the management and the bowlers. It was a two-way discussion, and it worked really well. I was just trying to stick to my strengths. Today, the ball was skidding more than turning, so my focus was on skidding the ball on to the batter rather than trying to force too much turn. It feels really good (second fastest to 50 T20I wickets). As long as I’m playing for India and contributing with wickets, I’ll always feel good.

Aiden Markram, SA captain Tough conditions. They got the ball in the right areas and before you know it we were 4-5 down. If we get similar conditions, we have to put pressure back. Credit to them. They didn't give us much to score off. I tried to take it deep. Whole time I thought if I got us to 140-150 it'd have been a closer game. I back myself to hit the ball I got out to at the death, generally. Picking a bowler on the night is how you go about it. When the match-up comes, you take it on. You want to take out negative speech like 'keep the ball on the floor'. Credit to Abhi for coming off. We weren't in the right areas in the first 3-4 overs. Was a positive to stretch the game by bowling good lengths.

Ferrerira got biggest 6 award

Makram- apne liye apno ka award

Makram- best striker award

Makram- best fielder award