India Vs South Africa Highlights, 3rd T20I: IND Take 2-1 Lead After Seven-Wicket Win

Good afternoon and welcome, Indian cricket lovers. The stage is set for the third T20I in chilly Dharamsala and we will bring to you the pre-match build-up as well as live updates from the IND vs SA clash.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.

The match begins at 7pm IST, with the toss scheduled for 6:30pm IST. The India vs South Africa, 3rd T20I will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India. It will be telecast on the Star Sports Network TV channels in the country.

The weather in Dharamsala tonight is expected to be cold but clear, with temperatures hovering between around 10°C to 13°C and no rain predicted, offering ideal conditions for full play without interruption. Chill in the air may encourage brisk movement early, but a clear evening should keep visibility and comfort levels good for players and spectators alike.

The HPCA Stadium pitch traditionally offers good bounce and carry, which can assist fast bowlers with the new ball while also holding up well for batters once set. The surface usually favours a balanced contest, quick bowlers can extract movement early, spinners may find gradual assistance, and chasing teams could benefit from dew later on, making for an intriguing strategic battle under lights.

With team balance firmly in focus, Sanju Samson’s return to the XI looks uncertain, and even if he does come back, a fresh run as an opener doesn’t seem high on the priority list right now. Shubman Gill is unlikely to be dropped, with the management backing continuity at the top, while tactical calls could once again spark debate over bowling combinations, particularly whether India revert to a three-spinner setup at the cost of Arshdeep Singh, or stick with pace to maintain batting depth and flexibility.

Suryakumar Yadav has registered eight single-digit scores in T20Is this year, the most by an Indian, with Shubman Gill next on the list with five.

India have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the 3rd T20I in Dharamasala.

South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Jasprit Bumrah misses out due to personal reasons back home. Harshit Rana has replaced him in the playing XI as informed by the skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

Quinton De Kock and Reeza Hendricks stride out to open for South Africa, with de Kock taking strike as Arshdeep Singh begins the attack.

Wow, an early breakthrough for the Indian team in the very first over. Arshdeep Singh sets up Reeza Hendricks beautifully, nipping one back in to trap him lbw for a duck. Brilliant review by India.

Second blow for South Africa. Harshit Rana strikes in his first over, nipping one back sharply from around the wicket to trap de Kock lbw for 1, and South Africa are rocked early as both openers depart inside two overs.

Harshit Rana strikes again, pitching it up and inducing Brevis into a drive as the inside edge crashes into the leg stump. South Africa lose a third wicket inside the powerplay, and India are right on top.

What a horrible powerplay for the Protes. They have already lost their three wickets in the first four overs and have scored only 25 runs in the powerplay. They have to score around 150 runs to put up a fight against the Men in Blue.

Hardik Pandya strikes to remove Stubbs, inducing a thick outside edge that Jitesh Sharma safely pouches behind the stumps, South Africa four down, and it’s Pandya’s 100th T20I wicket.

Shivam Dube makes an instant impact, bowling Corbin Bosch with a wobble-seam delivery that jagged back sharply to rattle the leg stump.

Varun Chakaravarthy does the trick, tempting Ferreira with a fuller delivery and inviting the slog sweep. Ferreira goes all in, misses completely, and watches his leg stump cartwheel as India snuff out another dangerous partnership.

Varun Chakaravarthy strikes again, sneaking one through Marco Jansen’s defence as the ball spins back in to clip the off stump.

Aiden Markram turns the tide with a stunning over, smashing 19 runs off it to bring up a well-crafted half-century, the most expensive over of the innings, as South Africa move to 111/7.

Arshdeep Singh gets the big breakthrough, tempting Aiden Markram into a wide drive as a faint edge carries through to Jitesh Sharma. Markram departs for a fighting 61, ending a lone resistance.

Kuldeep Yadav outwits Anrich Nortje, dragging him down the track before firing it wide and short, allowing Jitesh Sharma to whip off the bails for a straightforward stumping.

Kuldeep Yadav finishes the innings in style, drawing Baartman into a wide hit as the toe-end pops up for Suryakumar Yadav to take a simple catch at extra cover.

South Africa never recovered from a disastrous powerplay as India’s bowlers ran through the top order early. Despite wickets tumbling regularly, Aiden Markram fought back with a gritty half-century, offering lone resistance. However, disciplined spells from Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav ensured there was no late surge, bowling South Africa out cheaply and keeping India firmly in control at the halfway stage.

South Africa put up 117 in the first innings.

Welcome back for the chase! Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill stride out to open for India, a slip in place as the action gets underway.

A flying start for India as Abhishek Sharma goes big first ball, launching a six and setting the tone in a 16-run opening over, with India racing to 16/0.

India continue the onslaught as Abhishek Sharma keeps the pressure on, hammering a four and a six in another 16-run over, racing to 32/0 after two overs.

Corbin Bosch breaks through as Abhishek Sharma’s attacking knock ends on 35, top-edging a back-of-a-length delivery that Aiden Markram snaffles with a fine catch in the deep.

Marco Jansen gets the breakthrough as Shubman Gill chops on, the inside edge crashing into the stumps after a tentative poke. Gill departs for a run-a-ball 28, never quite settling in his stay.

Lungi Ngidi gets the prized scalp of Suryakumar Yadav as a mistimed clip off the pads balloons into the air, allowing Ottneil Baartman to run in and complete a fine catch at fine leg.

Shivam Dube comes and finishes the match with a six and a four to help India take 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series.

The series now moves to Lucknow where the fourth match of the series will be played. It will be do-or-die for the Proteas and they would want to get back to their winning combination in order to stay alive in the series.