Varma, Pandya blitz overwhelms South Africa

India clinched the T20I series 3-1 with a 30-run victory in Ahmedabad. A powerful partnership between Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya propelled India to 231/5. South Africa's chase, led by Quinton de Kock's 65, faltered after the drinks break, collapsing from 120/1 to 135/5.

Opting to bowl, South Africa found early control difficult. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson attacked Marco Jansen, with Sharma hitting three consecutive fours. The momentum was briefly checked when Corbin Bosch dismissed Abhishek Sharma via a glove behind.

Tilak Varma entered and immediately found the boundary. South Africa struck twice more: George Linde bowled Samson, and Bosch removed Suryakumar Yadav cheaply. This brought Pandya and Varma together for a match-defining 105-run stand.

Pandya announced his arrival by hitting his first ball for six. The assault peaked in the 14th over, where they plundered 27 runs off Linde. Varma reached his fifty in the 15th over, while Pandya raced to his off just 16 balls—the second-fastest by an Indian. Pandya was finally caught in the 20th over, and Varma was run out two balls later, but Shivam Dube's late hits ensured a strong finish.

In response, South Africa started explosively. Quinton de Kock took 23 runs off Arshdeep Singh's second over, powering the team to 67/0 in the PowerPlay. A brilliant catch by Shivam Dube removed Reeza Hendricks, but de Kock and Dewald Brevis maintained the charge, taking 42 runs from the ninth and tenth overs.

The game turned after the drinks break. Jasprit Bumrah provided the crucial breakthrough, taking a caught-and-bowled to dismiss de Kock. The innings unraveled quickly: Brevis holed out off Hardik Pandya, and Varun Chakaravarthy then removed Aiden Markram and Donovan Ferreira with consecutive deliveries.

A brief 19-run partnership between David Miller and George Linde offered hope, but wickets continued to fall. Miller fell to Arshdeep Singh, and Chakaravarthy dismissed Linde in the next over. Bumrah claimed the final wicket as South Africa finished on 201/8.

Brief Scores: India 231/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 3-44) beat South Africa 201/8 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 65, Dewald Brevis 31; Varun Chakaravarthy 4-53) by 30 runs.