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Hardik, Tilak blitz India to T20I series win over Proteas

cricket19 December 2025 17:48| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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An incredible display of power hitting from Hardik Pandya, backed up by some entertaining batting from Tilak Varma, powered India to huge total that the Proteas were unable to chase down as the hosts clinched a 30-run win in the final T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The result saw India seal the series 3-1, and it was largely down to the efforts of Pandya, who plundered five sixes and five fours on his way to an amazing 25-ball 63, while Varma was impressive, crunching 10 fours and a six in his 42-ball 73 to help them reach a huge 231-5 batting first.

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The Proteas then battled gamely, with Quinton de Kock, 65 off 35 balls (9x4; 3x6), and Dewald Brevis, 31 off 17 (3x4; 2x6), keeping them firmly in the hunt over the first half of their innings, before they faded away badly in the second half to fall to defeat.

The Proteas' chase got off to a great start courtesy of De Kock, who absolutely dominated a first-wicket stand of 69 with Reeza Hendricks (13), with him tearing into the Indian bowlers during the powerplay.

He took a particular liking to Arshdeep Singh, hammering 35 off his two overs up front, but as soon as the powerplay ended Varun Chakravarthy was brought into the attack and made the breakthrough, with Hendricks chipping to midwicket where Shivam Dube took a stunning one-handed catch.

That brought Brevis in to join De Kock, and although a quiet eighth over from Washington Sundar followed, with De Kock reaching his fifty with a single, they soon teed off.

The ninth over bowled by Chakravarthy disappeared for 23 runs, and the 10th from Pandya went for 19 as the Proteas cruised to 118-1 at the halfway stage, and well in the fight.

But that was as good as it got as De Kock popped a return catch back to Jasprit Bumrah in the 11th over, and in the 12th Pandya had Brevis caught on the boundary by Sundar as South Africa slipped to 122-3.

In the 13th the crash continued, as Chakravarthy trapped Aiden Markram (6) LBW, and bowled Donovan Ferreira for a first-ball duck, with the Proteas in trouble on 135-5.

David Miller (18 off 14), George Linde (16 off eight) and Marco Jansen (14 off five) tried to keep the chase alive, but all lived and died by the sword as the Proteas eventually stumbled to 201-8 to finish well short in the end.

THE PANDAY-VARMA SHOW

At the start of play the Proteas won the toss and chose to bowl, but were unable to stop the Indian batters’ onslaught, as they made merry throughout their innings with the superb 105-run partnership off just 44 balls between Pandya and Varma the highlight.

But it was a start that set the platform, as openers Sanju Samson, 37 off 22 (4x4; 2x6) and Abhishek Sharma, 34 off 21 (6x4; 1x6), crashed 63 runs within the powerplay as they tucked into Jansen and Ottneil Baartman.

Corbin Bosch finally made the breakthrough in the sixth over, after Sharma feathered an edge behind to keeper De Kock.

But that just brought Varma in and they continued on, adding a quickfire 34 to the score before Linde struck in the 10th over, bowling Samson, followed by India reaching 101-2 at the halfway stage.

Some tight bowling from Linde and Ferreira then pulled things back a little, and when Bosch had Suryakumar Yadav (5) caught by David Miller at mid-off, with the score 115-3 at the start of the 13th over, the Proteas were in a decent spot.

But Pandya crunched a six off his first ball and a four off his third to signal his intent, and that set India off as they hammered 116 runs off the last eight overs of the innings.

Both batters then fell in an entertaining final over that went for 17 runs, but also saw two wickets as the hosts set the visitors a huge target to chase.

Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers and the only one to go for under 10 runs an over, with him ending with figures of 0-29 from his four overs, while Bosch (2-44 in four), Linde (1-49 in four) and Baartman (1-39 in three) were all expensive.

INDIA: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

SOUTH AFRICA: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (capt), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman

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