South Africa, riding high on the back of their win in the second T20I, saw captain Aiden Markram win the toss and opt to bowl first. His decision reaped early rewards as Marco Jansen removed Sanju Samson in the opening over.
Despite the early setback, India’s chase quickly gained momentum as Abhishek Sharma, emerging from a lean patch, joined Tilak Varma in playing some aggressive strokes. Together, they made full use of the Centurion pitch, helping India reach a solid 70/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Sharma, in particular, was in devastating form, racing to a blistering half-century off just 24 balls. However, his aggressive approach ultimately backfired as he mistimed a delivery and was dismissed in the ninth over.
Shortly after, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, struggling to find his rhythm, was dismissed for just one run. At the halfway mark, India was at 110/3, with Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya at the crease.
Tilak, undeterred by the wickets falling around him, continued to dominate, bringing up a brilliant half-century off 32 balls. However, Hardik found it tough against the spinners and was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj in the 13th over. The run rate began to dip as South Africa’s bowlers settled into a good rhythm, with India sitting at 138/4 after 14 overs.
But Tilak kept the innings alive, launching into a series of spectacular shots. He reached 82 off 42 balls and seemed to be guiding India to a formidable total. However, Rinku Singh’s struggle with the bat saw him fall to Andile Phehlukwayo in the 18th over.
The match took an exciting twist as debutant Ramandeep Singh wasted no time making an impact, smashing a six off his first delivery. Tilak, meanwhile, was unstoppable, bringing up a magnificent century off just 51 balls.
India finished with an imposing total of 219/6 in their 20 overs, with Tilak remaining unbeaten on 107 from 56 balls.
The South African chase got off to a rocky start when play was halted for 20 minutes due to an unexpected swarm of flying ants. Despite making a solid start with a score of 7/0 in the first over, the interruption gave India an opportunity to regroup. Once play resumed, South Africa kept the pressure on, with Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks taking the score to 46/1 after five overs. But India struck back in the sixth over when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Hendricks.
As the pitch slowed down, India’s spinners took control, and the run rate started to dip. The next breakthrough came in the ninth over when Axar Patel removed Tristan Stubbs, leaving South Africa at 68/3. Markram then looked steady with a quick 29 off 18 balls before falling to Ravi Bishnoi in the 10th over. At 99/4 in 12 overs, South Africa still needed 121 runs from 48 balls.
Heinrich Klaasen then took charge, hitting three consecutive sixes off the 14th over to bring the score to 126/4. By the 15th over, South Africa needed 86 from the last 30 balls, and the match was shaping up for a thrilling finish. Klaasen and David Miller started to shift the momentum in the hosts’ favor, but India got a crucial breakthrough in the 16th over when Hardik Pandya dismissed Miller. With 77 runs needed from the last four overs, South Africa relied on Klaasen and Marco Jansen to deliver.
Jansen responded with back-to-back sixes in the 17th over, reducing the target to 59 from three overs. However, the momentum shifted again in India’s favor when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Klaasen in the 18th over, leaving South Africa needing 51 runs from the final two overs.
In a dramatic turn, Jansen hit 26 runs off the 19th over, leaving South Africa needing just 25 from the final six balls. Arshdeep Singh was tasked with bowling the last over. Coetzee took a single off the first ball, and Jansen, continuing his aggressive approach, smashed another six. But just as South Africa seemed to be in striking distance, Jansen was dismissed on the next ball, giving India a much-needed sigh of relief.
This man is amazing Glen Phillips #SLvsNZ pic.twitter.com/A2eanVR1yJ
— Dilanka25 (@Dilanka25) November 13, 2024
Despite a valiant effort, South Africa fell short by 11 runs, and India clinched a thrilling victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.