Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) Riding on Varun Chakaravarthy’s four-for and Jasprit Bumrah’s match-winning spell, India sealed the five-match T20I series 3-1 with a 30-run win over South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

On a black-soil pitch, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya added 105 runs for the fourth wicket, with the former making 73 off 45 balls and the latter hammering 63 off 38 deliveries, including getting his fifty in just 16 balls, the second fastest half-century hit by an India men’s batter in T20Is.

In an innings where umpire Rohan Pandit and a camera operator took some blows on separate occasions, Sanju Samson, stepping in for the injured Shubman Gill, made an attractive 37, while Abhishek Sharma chipped in with a brisk cameo of 34 in a 63-run opening stand. Suryakumar Yadav’s lean run continued as he fell for five, but Varma and Pandya made up for it with some audacious clean hitting.

Shivam Dube provided the finishing touches by hitting a four and six in the final over, as India crossed the 230-run mark. For South Africa, seam-bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch was the standout bowler with 2-44, but on a whole, the Proteas were unable to contain India’s batting surge.

Chasing 232, South Africa looked well placed to reach the target after being at 118/1 at the half-way mark, with Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis in full flow. But the introduction of Bumrah in the 11th over turned the contest on its head, as he dismissed de Kock for 63 by taking a sharp return catch.

From 120/1, South Africa slipped to 135/5, as Chakaravarthy tightened the screws with his variations to finish with 4-53. Bumrah’s 2-17 stood out on a night when more than 400 runs were scored – his slower balls accounting for de Kock and Marco Jansen, as South Africa eventually ended up at 201/8, handing India a comfortable victory.

The result also marked India’s eighth consecutive T20I series win, a streak starting from to December 2023. South Africa’s chase began in explosive fashion as de Kock tore into Arshdeep Singh with a hat-trick of boundaries in the opening over, before adding a six and more fours off him to keep the asking rate in check.

Reeza Hendricks struggled at the other end but the pair still carried the score to 67/0 at the end of the powerplay, with de Kock racing to 47 off 26 balls. The breakthrough came in the seventh over when Hendricks chipped off Chakravarthy to midwicket, where Shivam Dube took a one-handed brilliant catch. De Kock pressed on to get his 18th T20I fifty, adding momentum alongside Brevis in a 51-run stand as South Africa looked comfortable at the half-way mark.

But Bumrah’s return changed the contest’s direction, as he dismissed de Kock with a sharp return catch. Pandya then removed Brevis with a slower bouncer, and Chakaravarthy struck to dismiss Aiden Markram lbw, before castling Donovan Ferreira.

David Miller’s dismissal to Arshdeep and George Linde being castled by Chakaravarthy left South Africa reeling at 163/7. Marco Jansen briefly threatened with back-to-back sixes off Chakaravarthy, but Bumrah’s off-cutter accounted for him in the 17th over, effectively sealing the match in India’s favour and continue the hosts perfect build-up in their quest to retain the T20 World Cup trophy next year at home.

Previously, India made a brisk start by racing to 25/0 in two overs as Abhishek repeatedly pierced the off-side field against Marco Jansen for three fours in the second over, before Samson ended it with a trademark loft over mid-on for six.

There was concern for South Africa early on when wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock injured his finger while collecting the ball in the opening over. Despite visible discomfort, he continued behind the stumps after receiving treatment, even as Samson matched Abhishek stroke for stroke, unfurling elegant drives and punches down the ground to reach 27 off 13 balls.

After the opening pair went past fifty of their partnership, South Africa finally broke through when Abhishek gloved a bouncer down leg from Bosch to de Kock, who completed the catch despite not appealing for it initially.

South Africa turned to spin after the powerplay, introducing Donovon Ferreira and George Linde. But India continued to score freely, as Varma and Samson freely picked boundaries. Linde, however, struck in his second over, by castling Samson with a delivery that pitched on leg and clipped off-stump.

Suryakumar’s lean run persisted as he fell for five, caught at mid-off off Bosch, ending the year without a fifty in T20Is. From 115/3 in the 12th over, India’s innings was given a turbo boost by Pandya and Varma, who counter-attacked in blazing fashion to add quick runs. Pandya blazed his way to 31 off seven balls – hitting a six and four off Bosch, before taking down Linde with a four and two sixes.

While Varma reached his half-century with a fluent punch against Lungi Ngidi for four, Pandya’s assault continued as he smashed Bosch for a four and two sixes to bring up a 16-ball fifty, the second-fastest by an Indian in T20Is.

His knock, coming at a strike rate of 252, was eventually cut short when he picked out deep midwicket off Ottniel Baartman in the penultimate over. Two balls later, Varma’s knock ended in dramatic fashion when he was run out for 73.

Dube, however, finished with a flourish, striking a six and a four to push India past 230-mark, which was enough for India to cruise to win at the end despite a scare from de Kock.

Brief Scores: India 231/5 (Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 2-44, Ottniel Baartman 1-39) beat South Africa 201/8 (Quinton de Kock 65, Dewald Brevis 31; Varun Chakaravarthy 4-53, Jasprit Bumrah 2-17) by 30 runs

–IANS

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