India clinch T20I series against South Africa with 30-run win in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: India won the T20I series against South Africa with a 30-run victory in the final match in Ahmedabad. With this win, India clinched the five-match series 3–1. Chasing a huge target of 232 runs set by India, South Africa could manage only 201 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs.

South Africa got off to a strong start through opener Quinton de Kock, who scored 65 runs off 35 balls before getting out. The other opener, Reeza Hendricks, was dismissed for 13 runs off 12 balls. De Kock and Dewald Brevis added quick runs for the second wicket, taking the score to 118 for one at the end of 10 overs. The visitors needed another 114 runs from the final 10 overs to win.

However, South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals in the second half of the innings, which slowed their chase. David Miller scored 18 off 14 balls, while Aiden Markram made 6 off 4. Donovan Ferreira was dismissed for a duck, George Linde scored 16 off 8, and Marco Jansen made 14 off 5. Varun Chakravarthy turned the match in India’s favour by taking four wickets in the middle overs. Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, India posted a massive total of 231 for five in their 20 overs. Tilak Varma was the top scorer with 73 runs off 42 balls, while Hardik Pandya smashed 63 off just 25 balls. Openers Abhishek Sharma, who scored 34 off 21 balls, and Sanju Samson, who made 37 off 22 balls, also shone with the bat.