DHARAMSALA HP DEC 14:South Africa were bowled out for 117 in 20 overs after India elected to field. Aiden Markram top-scored with 61 off 48 balls (5×4, 1×6), while the rest struggled on a seam-friendly pitch with early powerplay damage at 25/3.
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Hendricks 0.4 ov), 2-1 (de Kock 1.2 ov), 3-7 (Brevis 3.1 ov), 4-30 (Stubbs 6.6 ov), 5-44 (Bosch 10.1 ov), 6-69 (Ferreira 13.3 ov), 7-77 (Jansen 15.1 ov), 8-113 (Markram 18.3 ov), 9-115 (Nortje 19.3 ov), 10-117 (Baartman 19.6 over)
India chased 118 in 15.5 overs, finishing at 120/3. Abhishek Sharma smashed 35 off 18 (including a six off the first ball), Shubman Gill made 28 off 28, Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 25 off 34, Suryakumar Yadav scored 12 off 11, and Shivam Dube hit 10* off 4.
India’s bowlers dominated: Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana took early powerplay wickets (2 each), Varun Chakaravarthy claimed 2 while reaching 50 T20I wickets, with support from Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav. South Africa’s Aiden Markram noted India’s disciplined lengths restricted scoring, targeting 140-150 as competitive.
Varun Chakaravarthy adapted to seaming conditions by focusing on stump-to-stump lines despite minimal spin. The win highlighted India’s bowling depth without key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel.
