Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana dazzle in India’s 7-wicket win in 3rd T20I
Dharamsala: India’s bowlers produced a superb display of swing and seam to restrict South Africa to a below-par 117 before the batters completed a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the third T20I here on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Opting to bowl, India struck early as the new ball moved appreciably under lights. Arshdeep Singh (2/13) set the tone with an incisive opening spell, removing Reeza Hendricks leg-before with the help of DRS, while Harshit Rana (2/34) accounted for Quinton de Kock with a nip-backer that trapped the left-hander in front. Dewald Brevis was bowled attempting a release shot as South Africa slipped to 7 for three.
Captain Aiden Markram then mounted a lone resistance with a fluent 61 off 46 balls, mixing caution with clean strokeplay to keep the innings afloat. Despite Markram’s effort, South Africa were bowled out for 117.
Chasing a modest target, India were never under pressure. Openers Shubman Gill (28) and Abhishek Sharma (35 off 18 balls) put on 60 runs in 5.2 overs, with Abhishek setting the tone by taking 16 runs off Lungi Ngidi in the first over. After his dismissal, Gill and Tilak Varma (26 not out) ensured there were no further hiccups as India reached the target in 15.5 overs.
