Dharamsala: Abhishek Sharma played a sparkling little innings after the pacers produced a riveting exhibition of swing bowling, powering India to a smooth seven-wicket victory in the third T20I here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 118 for a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, vice-captain Gill (28, 28 balls) and his opening partner Abhishek (35, 18 balls) added 60 runs in 5.2 overs as India achieved their target without much effort in 15.5 overs.
The only point of interest during India’s chase was whether the South African pacers could replicate their Indian counterparts’ performance with the new ball to make the task more challenging for the Indian batsmen. However, Abhishek and Gill did not let the South African bowlers settle, with Abhishek hitting Lungi Ngidi for 16 runs in the first over.
In fact, the very first ball of the chase went for a six, signalling the Indian openers’ aggressive intent. Gill joined in the assault in the second over, scoring 16 runs as India raced to 32 for no loss in just two overs.
Abhishek continued his aggressive batting until a brilliant catch by Aiden Markram off Corbin Bosch ended his innings. After his dismissal, India’s chase of the remaining 58 runs became more sedate, with Gill and Tilak Varma (26 not out) avoiding unnecessary risks. Although Gill’s run-a-ball 28 was not among his most fluent innings, it likely boosted his confidence after two lacklustre performances in the earlier matches.
Gill was eventually bowled by Marco Jansen, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav also failed to stay until the end, but these were minor setbacks on an otherwise smooth night.
India’s victory was largely due to their pacers, who bowled a mesmerising spell of swing bowling to dismiss South Africa for a below-par 117. Arshdeep Singh (2/13), Harshit Rana (2/34), and Hardik Pandya (1/23) led the attack after the hosts chose to bowl.
Markram provided a brief spark for South Africa with a spirited 46-ball 61, but the standout performers were India’s quick bowlers, who extracted significant swing and lateral movement with the new ball, affecting South Africa’s power play effort of 25 for three, which included just two boundaries.
