Dharamsala, Dec 14 (UNI) South Africa were bowled out for a modest 117 in 20 overs by India in the third T20 International of the South Africa tour of India at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here today.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl, India produced a disciplined allround bowling effort to restrict the visitors on a lively Dharamsala surface. South Africa never recovered from early blows and kept losing wickets at regular intervals, finishing with a run rate of just 5.85.
Openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock were dismissed inside the first two overs, both falling leg-before to Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, respectively. At 1 for 2, the visitors were immediately under pressure.
Captain Aiden Markram stood firm at one end and top-scored with a fighting 61 off 46 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. However, he received little support from the other batters as India’s bowlers maintained tight lines and varied their pace effectively.
Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Corbin Bosch failed to convert their starts, while the middle order struggled against India’s spin attack. Varun Chakaravarthy was the standout performer, returning figures of 2 for 11 from four overs, while Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with two wickets in his two overs.
Arshdeep Singh set the tone early with figures of 2 for 13, and Harshit Rana also claimed two wickets despite conceding some runs. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube took one wicket each as South Africa were eventually bowled out in the final ball of the innings.
India fielded a balanced XI despite resting senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was named among the substitutes. India were set to begin their chase after the innings break.
Brief scores:
South Africa 117 all out in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 61; Arshdeep Singh 2/13, Varun Chakaravarthy 2/11, Kuldeep Yadav 2/12).
