India bowled brilliantly against South Africa in the third T20I at Dharamsala on Sunday, December 14, utterly dominating the Proteas and restricting them to 25/3 in the powerplay. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh led the onslaught, and the South African batters struggled from the beginning.
Arshdeep Singh initiated the attack and instantly exerted pressure. He bowled two outswingers in his opening two deliveries before striking Reeza Hendricks with a well-directed in-dipping ball in his fourth. Hendricks misjudged the line, and the left-arm pacer made the first breakthrough for India, establishing the tone for the game.
Harshit Rana struck Quinton de Kock with his second ball, a sharply nipping length delivery from round the wicket that evaded the batter’s defence. De Kock, who had struck a stunning 90 in the second T20I, was unable to repeat his heroics this time.
Rana reappeared for his second over of the innings, dismissing Dewald Brevis, one of South Africa’s most threatening batsmen. Brevis tried to drive off a delivery placed outside off stump, but the inside edge bounced onto the leg stump. Rana’s joy echoed India’s domination, as the Men in Blue bowlers thoroughly outclassed the visitors in the first few overs, putting India in command.
The third T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala saw several records broken, alongside some unwanted milestones. Reeza Hendricks registered his seventh duck in T20Is, equalling Andile Phehlukwayo’s record for South Africa.
Arshdeep Singh became the highest wicket-taker in T20I powerplays, surpassing Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 48 wickets.
Hardik Pandya achieved his 100th T20I wicket, becoming the first seamer in men’s T20Is to score 1,000+ runs and take 100+ wickets. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy claimed his 50th T20I wicket in just 32 matches, ranking as the fourth-fastest spinner in terms of fewest balls (672) to reach the milestone.
Speaking about the series, the five-match T20I contest is now level at 1-1. India claimed the first T20I thanks to Pandya’s half-century and a collective bowling effort. South Africa bounced back in the second match, with Quinton de Kock smashing a fifty to take his team past 200 runs, and India failed to chase the total.
With the series now tied, India will aim to take the lead in the third T20I, building on their strong bowling performance in the early powerplay and maintaining momentum with the bat.
India
