Dharamsala, Sunday, December 14, 2025 – India delivered a dominant performance in the third T20I against South Africa at the HPCA Stadium, securing a comprehensive seven-wicket victory and taking a crucial 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The win was set up by a disciplined bowling effort that dismantled the South African batting line-up.
First Innings: India’s Bowlers Run Riot
After India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl, the decision proved immediately correct as the fast bowlers exploited the conditions.
| Bowler | Performance & Highlights |
| Arshdeep Singh | Dismissed opener Reeza Hendricks for a three-ball duck in the first over. Finished with 2/13. |
| Harshit Rana | Got the big wicket of Quinton de Kock (1) early, and also cleaned up Dewald Brevis, leaving South Africa reeling at 7/3. Finished with 2/34. |
| Hardik Pandya | Removed Tristan Stubbs (9) to claim his 100th T20I wicket, becoming only the third Indian to reach the milestone. Finished with 1/23. |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Struck twice, removing Marco Jansen and the dangerous Donovan Ferreira (20) just as he attempted a counter-attack. Also reached the 50 T20I wickets mark. Finished with 2/11. |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Cleaned up the tail, getting the final two wickets—Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman—to wrap up the innings. Finished with 2/28. |
South Africa was eventually bowled out for 117 in exactly 20 overs. Captain Aiden Markram was the lone warrior for the Proteas, compiling a fighting 61 off 46 balls*.
Second Innings: Blazing Start, Comfortable Chase
Chasing a modest target of 118, India’s openers provided a blistering start, ensuring the chase was never in doubt.
- Abhishek Sharma launched a quickfire attack, smacking 35 runs off just 18 balls (three fours, three sixes) before being dismissed by Corbin Bosch.
- Shubman Gill played a supporting role, registering 28 runs off 28 balls, before being bowled by Marco Jansen.
- The Indian middle order finished the job efficiently, with Tilak Varma (25* off 34 balls) and Shivam Dube (10* off 6 balls) remaining unbeaten. Dube hit the match-winning boundary, guiding India to 120/3 in 15.5 overs.
| Key Batting Performances (India) | Runs (Balls) | Strike Rate |
| Abhishek Sharma | 35 (18) | 194.44 |
| Shubman Gill | 28 (28) | 100.00 |
| Tilak Varma | 25* (34) | 73.53 |
| Shivam Dube | 10* (6) | 166.67 |
Key Highlights & Milestones
- Result: India defeated South Africa by 7 wickets.
- Series Score: India takes a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series.
- Hardik Pandya’s Milestone: Became the third Indian bowler (after Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah) to take 100 T20I wickets.
- Varun Chakaravarthy’s Milestone: Reached 50 T20I wickets, becoming the second-fastest Indian to the mark.
- Toss: India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl.
- Squad Changes: Jasprit Bumrah (personal reasons) and Axar Patel (illness) were ruled out, with Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav coming into the squad.