Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya struck timely half-centuries before Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy delivered decisive spells as India defeated South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, sealing the five-match series 3–1.
The victory marked India’s eighth consecutive T20I series win since December 2023 and capped an impressive build-up ahead of the white-ball series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup in February–March.
Middle Order Fires After Brisk Start
Asked to bat first on a flat surface, India recovered strongly after losing momentum in the middle overs. Openers Sanju Samson, stepping in for the injured Shubman Gill, and Abhishek Sharma gave the innings early impetus with a 63-run stand.
However, India slipped to 116/3 in the 13th over, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav continuing his lean run and departing for five.
The tide turned when Varma and Pandya combined for a decisive 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Varma struck a composed 73 off 45 balls, while Pandya unleashed a blistering 63 off 38 deliveries, bringing up his half-century in just 16 balls, the second fastest by an Indian in T20Is.
Shivam Dube added late momentum, smashing 10 off the final three balls to lift India to a formidable 231/5. Corbin Bosch was the pick of the South African bowlers with 2-44.
Surya Praises Intent Despite Personal Lean Patch
Despite another quiet outing with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav was delighted with the collective effort.
Maybe the only thing we couldn’t quite manage was finding ‘Surya the batter’. I think he went missing somewhere. But he’ll be back stronger. As a team, I’m really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through.
Yadav said India had stuck to a clear identity throughout the series.
From the start, we wanted to play a particular brand of cricket and express ourselves in all departments. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully.
Bumrah and Chakaravarthy Turn the Chase
Chasing 232, South Africa appeared well placed at 118/1 midway through the innings, with Quinton de Kock in full flow after racing to his 18th T20I fifty.
The match turned sharply in India’s favour when Bumrah returned in the 11th over and dismissed de Kock for 65 with a sharp return catch. From 120/1, South Africa collapsed to 135/5, as Chakaravarthy tightened the screws with his variations.
The leg-spinner finished with 4-53, while Bumrah’s outstanding 2-17 stood out on a high-scoring night, his slower balls accounting for de Kock and Marco Jansen. South Africa eventually finished on 201/8.
Markram Reflects on Missed Opportunity
South Africa captain Aiden Markram admitted his side fell short during the middle overs.
Chasing 232 was always going to need a near-perfect effort. Quinny and the top three set it up really well, and we were right in the contest: But in the middle overs, we just couldn’t maintain that momentum.
Markram added that the series offered valuable lessons ahead of the T20 World Cup.
With several World Cup games here, this experience will be important. We were challenged and asked tough questions, and that’s a good thing. We now have a clearer idea of what’s required.
Brief Scores: India 231/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 2-44, Ottniel Baartman 1-28) beat South Africa 201/8 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 65, Dewald Brevis 31; Varun Chakaravarthy 4-53, Jasprit Bumrah 2-17) by 30 runs
