Shikhar Dhawan is handed the trophy and he goes on to share it with his teammates and they all pose for a picture. Right then! That ends South Africa's tour of India. The hosts have won both the T20I series and the ODI series as well. Both sides will now play the mega event in Australia. For now, it's goodbye!
Shikhar Dhawan says that he is really proud of the boys and the way they played showing maturity. Adds that they created a great atmosphere and showed great character after being 1-0 down. Claims that they never really put pressure on themselves and they knew that if they stuck to the basics, the results would come on their own. Mentions that the wickets weren't batting friendly but the batters did a good job and the bowlers exploited the wicket well.
Mohammed Siraj is the Player of the Series and he says that whenever he bowls he gives his 100 percent. Adds that with the new ball he tries to find the right area but he pulls his length back a bit after 15 overs since it does not swing as much. Mentions that as fast bowlers sometimes they have to be aggressive and have that fire.
Kuldeep Yadav is the Player of the Match for figures of 4 wickets for 18 runs. He says that he is very happy to get the award after coming back from an injury. Claims that he is in a great rhythm and the wicket also provided assistance. Claims that before his injury he was out of touch and now he wants to keep doing the right thing.
David Miller the captain of South Africa says that their batting was not up to the mark, scoring 99 did not help. Adds that it is a disappointing result and to finish the series like this is disappointing. Adds that the pitch was a bit two-paced, it was skidding on there was turn on offer as well, a bit tacky. Mentions that they were good in certain areas, they did manage to find their feet. But they need to perform better in ODIs.
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Shubman Gill is up for a chat and he says that he is a bit disappointed with the way he got out but he is happy with this win and they have done well to get back after the first game. Mentions that it has been a pleasing series for them and a lot of young players including himself handled the pressure well. Adds that the talk in the management was just to express themselves and not to think about the bigger picture. Admits that there are exciting times ahead with the 50-over World Cup coming back.
The game was won by India in the first inning itself as the bowlers demolished the South African batting lineup. The spinners were on song as Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers claiming four wickets with Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Mohammed Siraj chipping in with two wickets each. Heinrich Klaasen was the only batter who looked like he could score freely but the rest was dismissed cheaply as they were unable to reach the 100-run mark. The Indian batters completed the formality thereafter and India have inflicted a series loss to Mark Boucher in his last series as head coach of the South African side.
India started the run chase looking solid and scoring boundaries at regular intervals. Shubman Gill displayed an array of gorgeous stroke-play as Shikhar Dhawan looked to play the anchor role. Some lazy running from the latter resulted in him being run out cheaply but they had put on a 42-run opening partnership until then. Ishan Kishan came into the bat but was dismissed by Bjorn Fortuin as he looked to take the attack to the spinner. Shreyas Iyer walked out to the middle and joined forces with Shubman Gill to take their team close to the finish line. The young opener fell one run short of what would have been a well-constructed half-century and looked in fine touch through the inning. None of the South African bowlers looked threatening enough to cause a collapse of a strong batting side and in the end succumbed to a feeble loss.
Shreyas Iyer has ended the game in style and it aptly defines his performance in this series! This has been a stunning win for India’s reserve side as they have completed a comprehensive 7-wicket win with almost 31 overs to spare and seal a 2-1 series win. The youngsters have done really well for the hosts and the future definitely looks bright for Indian cricket. The Proteas will be going to the T20 World Cup and would have hoped to do so with a series win under their belt but that is not to be. They will need to pick themselves up from this disappointment and do not have much time to do so before the mega event.
In over# 20
6
Marco Jansen 43/0(5.1)
19.1
6
SIX! Shreyas Iyer finishes things in a fine fashion. On a length, outside off. Shreyas Iyer stays in his crease and smokes it over mid off all the way for a biggie! India win by 7 wickets and seal the series 2-1.
In over# 19
0
0
2
0
0W
0
Lungi Ngidi 21/1(5)
18.6
.
Angling in, a fuller ball, around middle. Sanju Samson flicks it towards the fielder at square leg. India will have to wait for another over to finish this off.
18.5
.
Pitches this one up, outside off. Sanju Samson looks to drive this one but he checks his shot in the end and ends up blocking it.
18.4
2
Width on offer now, a shortish ball. Sanju Samson cuts through point for a brace.
18.3
.
A length ball, outside off. Sanju Samson punches it off the back foot towards cover.
Sanju Samson walks out to the middle.
18.2
W
OUT! LBW! Lungi Ngidi sends back Shubman Gill on 49! He has missed out on a well-deserved half-century. South Africa have another breakthrough, probably a little late now. A length ball, tailing back in, around middle. Shubman Gill looks to flick this one but he misses and gets rapped on his pads. A huge shout for LBW, and the umpire raises his finger. That is as plumb as it gets. Shubman Gill does not bother reviewing that, he walks back.