Ahmedabad: Hard-hitting India batters Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya hammered fine half-centuries while spinner Varun Chakravarthy snared four wickets as India defeated South Africa by 30 runs to clinch the five-match T20I series 3-1 here on Saturday.
With Varma (73 off 42 balls) and Pandya (63 off 25 balls) in full flow, India scored a competitive 231 for 5 and then restricted the visitors to 201 for 8.
The Proteas were in the match till opener Quinton de Kock (65 off 35 balls) and Dewald Brevis (31 off 17) were at the crease, but the visitors lost wickets quickly once the two departed in successive overs.
After the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned due to excessive fog in Lucknow, it’s a do-or-die clash for South Africa in the fifth and final game in Ahmedabad on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Indians started the series with a win before South Africa bounced back. In the third T20I, it was India all over to take a 2-1 lead.
While Axar Patel has been officially ruled out, there is no confirmation on Shubman Gill after the Indian vice-captain is believed to have suffered a toe injury. Gill has travelled with the Indian team to Ahmedabad though.
India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakarvarthy
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi/Ottneil Baartman
