Dharamshala, December 14, 2025 - India defeated South Africa by 7 wickets in the third T20I at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, India's bowlers, led by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, dismantled the South African batting lineup, restricting them to a modest total of 117. The Indian batsmen then chased down the target with ease, reaching 120/3 in just 15.5 overs.
South Africa's innings got off to a disastrous start, with Arshdeep Singh trapping Reeza Hendricks LBW for a duck in the very first over. Harshit Rana then compounded the visitors' woes by removing Quinton de Kock for 1 and later cleaning up Dewald Brevis' stumps. At 7/3, South Africa were in deep trouble, and looked in danger of scoring fewer runs than their series-opening 74, the team's worst total in T20 cricket.
Aiden Markram, the South African captain, provided some resistance with a fighting knock of 61 off 46 balls. He hit two sixes and six fours, but found little support from the other batsmen. Hardik Pandya dismissed Tristan Stubbs to claim his 100th T20I wicket. Varun Chakaravarthy's spell of 2/11 further choked the scoring, and Kuldeep Yadav cleaned up the tail, dismissing Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 117 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh (2/13) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/11) were the pick of the Indian bowlers.
India's chase began briskly, with Abhishek Sharma smashing 35 off 18 balls. He hit three fours and three sixes, putting South Africa on the back foot early. Shubman Gill anchored the innings with 28 off 28 balls. Corbin Bosch dismissed Sharma, with Aiden Markram taking the catch. Marco Jansen then bowled Gill. Tilak Varma (25) and Shivam Dube (10) remained unbeaten, guiding India to victory. Shivam Dube finished the match with a six and a four.
India's win was set up by their impressive bowling performance, with the pacers making full use of the conditions in Dharamsala. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana's early strikes put South Africa on the back foot, and the spinners then kept the pressure on. India also benefited from a strong start from their openers, with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill putting on 60 runs for the first wicket.
The victory gives India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. India had won the first T20I in Cuttack before South Africa bounced back to win the second match in Mohali. The fourth T20I will be played in Lucknow on Wednesday.
India are the defending T20 World Cup champions, having beaten South Africa in the final of the 2024 tournament. This series serves as preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India in February. India had earlier won the ODI series against South Africa 2-1, but lost the test series 2-0.
