India registered an impressive 11-run win in the third T20I game against South Africa on Wednesday. Tilak Varma registered his maiden international century to help India post a big total of 219 and then Arshdeep Singh bowled a match-winning spell to help India take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
After a shock defeat in the second game, India made a quick comeback with an impressive all-round display at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen took the game to the wire with fiery cameos in the closing stages but India survived to take an unassailable lead.
Tilak Varma top-scored with 107 runs off 56 balls while Arshdeep Singh picked three wickets for 37, including Marco Jansen’s and Heinrich Kalssen’s to break the home fans’ hearts.
Earlier in the game, India handed a debut to batting all-rounder Ramandeep Singh who replaced Avesh Khan in the playing eleven. Aiden Markram‘s decision to bowl first proved successful as Marco Jansen dismissed Sanju Samson on a duck in the very first over.
But India were quick to take control with Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma dominating the first half of the game. The young duo added 107 runs for the opening wicket with Abhishek smashing 50 runs off just 25 balls and Tilak scoring his first-ever international hundred.
South Africa tried to make a comeback with cheap wickets of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandy and Rinku Singh but the debutant Ramandeep Singh smashed 15 off just six balls to take India past 200. Andile Simelane and Keshav Maharaj picked two wickets each while Jansen picked one for the Proteas.
Indian bowlers were impressive in the early stages of the second half to take control of the game. Arshdeep gave India an opening with Ryan Rickelton’s wicket in the third over and then South Africa’s innings stumbled against spin.
In-form Varun Chakravarthy put India in the driving seat with valuable wickets of Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks before getting smashed for three consecutive sixes by Klassen. The hosts managed to take the game to the wire with Klaasen smashing 41 runs off 22 balls and Jansen scoring his maiden T20I fifty in just 16 balls but it was not enough to see to the finishing line.
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy.
South Africa Playing XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla.