Dharamsala, India – Arshdeep Singh and his fellow pacers delivered a masterful performance, dismantling South Africa's batting lineup and propelling India to a convincing 7-wicket victory in the third T20I at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday. With this win, India takes a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
India's decision to bowl first after winning the toss proved to be a masterstroke, as the seamers exploited the early movement on offer. Arshdeep Singh set the tone, trapping Reeza Hendricks LBW for a duck in the very first over. This early breakthrough also marked a personal milestone for Arshdeep, as he surpassed Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become India's most successful bowler in the powerplay overs in T20Is, with 48 wickets.
Harshit Rana, replacing Jasprit Bumrah who was out due to personal reasons, further compounded South Africa's woes by dismissing Quinton de Kock for 1 and later clean bowled Dewald Brevis. South Africa found themselves reeling at 7/3 within the first 3.1 overs.
Captain Aiden Markram offered some resistance, scoring a valiant 61 off 46 balls, but received little support from the other end. Hardik Pandya joined the party by dismissing Tristan Stubbs, claiming his 100th T20I wicket. Shivam Dube also contributed with a crucial wicket, removing Corbin Bosch. Varun Chakravarthy tightened the screws in the middle overs, finishing with figures of 2/11. Kuldeep Yadav cleaned up the tail, picking up the final two wickets to bowl out South Africa for a paltry 117 in 20 overs.
Chasing a modest target of 118, India got off to a flying start, courtesy of Abhishek Sharma's explosive 35 off 18 balls. He smashed three fours and three sixes, putting South Africa on the back foot. Shubman Gill provided solid support with 28 off 28 balls. Although South Africa managed to slow down the scoring briefly, India remained in control throughout the chase.
Corbin Bosch dismissed Abhishek Sharma, caught by Aiden Markram, while Marco Jansen bowled out Shubman Gill. Lungi Ngidi took the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, who was caught by Ottneil Baartman for 12. Tilak Varma (26) and Shivam Dube (10) remained unbeaten, guiding India to victory with 25 balls to spare. Dube sealed the win in style, hitting a six and a four off Ottneil Baartman.
Arshdeep Singh was named Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling performance. Reflecting on his performance, Arshdeep said he stuck to the basics and trusted his skillset, pitching the ball in the right areas and taking advantage of the assistance offered by the wicket.
This victory gives India a crucial lead in the series and boosts their confidence as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in India in February 2026. The fourth T20I will be held on Wednesday in Lucknow.
