The Indian side delivered an outstanding performance against South Africa in the five-match T20I series, winning 3-1. The fifth and final game was played on Friday, December 19, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the Men in Blue set a tough goal of 231 and won by 30 runs.
With this series triumph, India reached a new milestone by winning their ninth consecutive bilateral series at home. This victory enabled India to surpass Australia, who had previously held the record for eight consecutive home series wins.
India also ranks third on the all-time list with seven consecutive home series triumphs, demonstrating their dominance in T20Is cricket at home.
In the sixth game, India scored 231/5, led by Tilak Varma’s 73 off 42 balls and Hardik Pandya’s blazing 63 off 25 deliveries. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson had a great start, allowing India to post a threatening total. Corbin Bosch led the South African bowling assault with 2/44.
In reply, South Africa managed 201/8, with Quinton de Kock scoring a valiant 65. However, the rest of the batting lineup struggled to build partnerships. India’s Varun Chakravarthy was the star with the ball, claiming 4/53 in the final match and finishing the series with 10 wickets, earning him the Player of the Series award. This series win highlighted India’s depth in both batting and bowling, consolidating their position as one of the strongest T20 sides in the world.
“The brand of cricket we wanted to play was the same, the result was in front of us. This [intent-laden effort] was missing, glad we were able to replicate. Wanted to bowl Bumrah one over in PP, one in middle post-drinks and then in the end. We were challenged, but this game is about how you come back. Good challenging series, we did what we could. The only thing is we couldn’t find Surya the batter, I think he’s missing somewhere. But he’ll come back strong. As a leader, I am very pleased with how the series went,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the post-match presentation.
India
