VISAKHAPATNAM: Harshal Patel and Yuzendra Chahal ran through the South African batting line before the openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan starred with the bat to help India claim 59 runs victory in the third T20I, securing their first win in the series.
India tightened their grip over the game early with a solid opening stand of 97 runs by Gaikwad and Kishan, each scoring a half-century, forcing South Africa to regret the decision to field first.
Following small contributions by the middle-order and Hardik Pandya’s late onslaught, the home side managed to score 179/5 in the allotted 20 overs.
For South Africa, Dwaine Pretorius led the way with two wickets while Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Keshav Maharaj
South Africa, on the other hand, failed to put up an impressive show with the bat and were bowled out on 131 in the 20th over.
South Africa’s last match hero Heinrich Klaasen retaliated for the touring side with his gritty knock of 29 runs but he too, could not pull his side out of trouble.
Whereas, Wayne Parnell remained unbeaten with his valiant 22 off 18 balls as the tailenders remained clueless in front of the strong Indian bowling attack.
Chahal and Harshal completely derailed the Proteas’ batting lineup and only four players were able to get into the double figures.
The leg-break bowler Chahal was awarded Man of the Match as he took three crucial wickets to dismantle the Proteas middle-order while Harshal remained the leading wicket-taker with four wickets. Bhuvneshear Kumar and Axar Patel, on the other hand, made one scalp each.
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