India defeated South Africa by 106 runs in the third and final T20I in Johannesburg to level the series 1-1.
After the first match was washed out, hosts South Africa had won the second in Gqeberha to go 1-0 up.
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Batting first, Team India posted a whopping total of 201 runs. Suryakumar Yadav (100) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (60) played valiant knocks in the first innings. Lizaad Williams and Keshav Maharaj picked two wickets each for the Proteas.
For all the firepower in the South African batting line-up, they fell short in the run chase. Kuldeep Yadav picked up five wickets as India dismissed South Africa for 95 in under 14 overs.
SA vs IND 3rd T20I: Scorecard, result and highlights
Welcome to the Live Blog for the 3rd T20I between South Africa and India in Johannesburg.
11:48 PM: WICKET! This is absolute carnage from Kuldeep Yadav! INDIA WIN! India beat South Africa by 106 runs. Kuldeep Yadav gets third wicket in five balls of the over, as South Africa are cleaned up in under 14 overs. The 29-year-old registers his best figures in a T20 International (5/17). Miller sees his stumps getting knocked over as Indian team rushes towards Kuldeep Yadav in absolute joy. Miller b Kuldeep Yadav 35(25) SA 95/10 (13.5).
11:45 PM: WICKET! No Hat-trick, no problem, for Kuldeep! Kuldeep grabs a 4-fer in Johannesburg. Having missed on the hat-trick the previous ball, Kuldeep gets hold of Lizaad Williams. Yadav is elated and laughs in front of the batsman, who misses the line of the ball while attempting the reverse sweep. Williams lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 0(2) SA 95-9 (13.3)
11:42 PM: WICKET! Kuldeep gets another! The leggie is on fire, with his third of the night. Nandre Burger fails to read the line and length, and is adjudged out leg-before by the on-field umpire. Kuldeep Yadav is more importantly, on a hat-trick. The last ball of his previous over and the first ball of this over, have both been dismissals. Will Yadav spin magic once more? Nandre Burger lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 1(3) SA 94-8 (13.1).
11:34 PM: WICKET! Kuldeep gets his second of the night too! Kuldeep bowls Keshav Maharaj over! The Indians are in a hurry to finish things off. South Africa have already given up on the run chase, and if not, then surely now. Kuldeep and Jadeja cast their spells over the Proteas, and come out with flying colors. Maharaj b Kuldeep Yadav 1(3) SA 89-7 (12).
11:30 PM: WICKET! The Proteas have completely lost the plot now. Andile Phehlukwayo comes to the middle, faces three balls, does not trouble the score board, and returns to the pavilion. He gives an easy return catch to Ravi Jadeja, who has his second of the game. This one totally sums up the day for South Africa. Indian bowlers have been all over the Protean batsmen, who have struggled to mount their foot on the run chase. Phehlukwayo c and b Jadeja 0(3) SA 82-6 (11).
11:26 PM: SA 75-5 (10) at the halfway stage. The Proteas are lagging behind by 12 runs, from India's 87 at the same stage. The hosts have also lost two more wickets than their opponents. It is a tough climb in the final ten overs of the run chase, with five wickets in hand. South Africa need 127 runs in the final ten overs, to not let India have any hands on the silverware.
11:26 PM: WICKET! South Africa lose another one! That's half the side gone at the halfway stage. Donovan Fereira bites the dust at the hands of Kuldeep Yadav. Fereira hits Kuldeep for a six, and gets dismissed the very next ball. Karma strikes back, truly! Ferreira b Kuldeep Yadav 12(11) SA 75-5 (10).
11:08 PM: WICKET! SA falling as if they were a pack of cards! The hosts lose two wickets in four balls, and within two minutes. Aiden Markram gifts his wicket to an ecstatic Ravi Jadeja. Markram hit two sixes and three fours, but fails to keep it going. South Africa ended their powerplay at 42-3, but start their second phase of the run chase at 42-4. Markram c Jaiswal b Jadeja 25(14) SA 42-4 (6.1).
11:06 PM: WICKET! The Proteas in big trouble! Heinrich Klaasen is sent off to the pavilion now. India get their third wicket inside the powerplay. Klaasen picks out Rinku Singh at deep square leg. The off-pace delivery does the trick for Arshdeep, and for India. Klaasen c Rinku Singh b Arshdeep Singh 5(5) SA 42-3 (5.4).
10:53 PM: WICKET! Uh, oh, pressure! A mix up between Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram. Hendricks sacrifices his wicket, and puts an end to his own miseries. Indians get hold of the run chase, early on. The perfect start that India wanted, and polar opposite for the Proteas. Mohammad Siraj gets a direct-hit as Hendricks is short of the crease at the non-striker's end. Reeza Hendricks run out (Siraj) 8(13) SA 23-2 (3.2)
10:45 PM: WICKET! South Africa lose an early wicket, nine balls into the run chase. Mukesh Kumar strikes in his first over! Matthew Breetzke goes back cheaply, as Mukesh cleans him all ends up. Breetzke b Mukesh Kumar 4(3) SA 4-1 (1.3)
10:40: Welcome back to the run chase. We are here under the lights at the New Wanderers Stadium. The hosts have their task cut out, with a ransom target to chase. Will the batting firepower of South Africa come good, or will Indian bowlers level the series for them? Let's find out!
10:16 PM: END OF 20 OVERS, INDIA FINISH 201-7. Suryakumar's magnificent 100 coupled with Jaiswal's heroics early on, has got India above the 200-run mark. The batters have done their job on the crease. The onus now shifts on the bowlers to defend the series, and avoid a humiliation. Indian batters were on the task after a nervy start. Suryakumar and Jaiswal steadied the ship, and have laid the platform for the Indian bowlers.
10:14 PM: WICKET! Comedy of errors by Indian batsmen on the middle. That's two wickets in two balls for South Africa, and how! Jitesh Sharma steps on the stumps, and is declared out by 'hit wicket'. Sharma returns back to the pavilion, scoring a boundary. itesh Sharma hit wkt b Williams 4(4) IND 199-7 (19.5)
10:13 PM: WICKET! A mix-up in the middle means Ravindra Jadeja has to lose his wicket for the team. Ravindra Jadeja run out (Klaasen/Williams) 4(2) IND 199-6 (19.4)
10:09 PM: CENTURY FOR SKY!!, AND.. WICKET... Suryakumar Yadav (100 off 56 balls) scores a magnificent hundred in the tournament-decider! SKY has stepped up for the team, as India look to go well beyond the 200-run mark. Suryakumar is caught by Breetzke off Williams' bowling in the final over of the game. Suryakumar Yadav c Breetzke b Williams 100(56) IND 194-5 (19.2)
10:05 PM: WICKET!!! Rinku Singh departs! Nandre Burger gets hold of the dangerous Rinku Singh, who had his sights for a grandstand finish. Substitute fielder Tristan Stubbs catches him at fine-leg, as Rinku fails to secure a genuine connection with the ball. Rinku Singh 14(10) c Stubbs b Burger. IND 188-4 (18.3)
9:53 PM: Skipper SKY at it again! IND 173-3 after 17 overs. Suryakumar Yadav has cruised into nervous nineties. But there is no nervousness in his style of play. The 33-year-old has been launching balls into the air, and beyond the boundary ropes. Surya has set his team for a solid finish, as India look to level the series in Johannesburg. Yadav has taken Lizaad Williams and Nandre Burger to the cleaners in the last two overs.
9:40 PM: WICKET!!! Jaiswal departs! Tabraiz Shamsi gets the better of the set Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Southpaw is caught by an incoming Reeza Hendricks from long-off. Jaiswal batted beautifully for his 41-ball 60. India's well-knit partnership for the third-wicket is finally broken. Yashasvi Jaiswal 61(40) c Hendricks b Shamsi. IND 141-3 (14)
9:20 PM: IND 87-2 (10) at the halfway stage. South Africa have done a very good job since the end of the powerplay to just put on the brakes, tighten the grip, and slow down India. SKY has struggled a bit as he is playing with a strike rate below 110, very uncharacteristic of him. Jaiswal looks set to score a deserved half-century. The Men in Blue will be keen to add at least another 120 runs from here on.
8:59 PM: END OF POWERPLAY, IND 62-2 (6) - India have gotten off to a very good start as the pitch looks very, very favourable for batsmen. Maharaj took two wickets in one over to dismiss Gill and Varma, but Jaiswal has continued his onslaught and has been joined by the the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world in SKY. Oh, fun fact, Jaiswal hasn't been dismissed inside the powerplay for the first time after six innings.
8:46 PM: WICKET!!! Two in two for Maharaj. Tilak Varma departs without troubling the scorers. He throws his wicket away trying to take on the left-arm spinner on his first ball. India in need of some rebuilding and in walks skipper Suryakumar Yadav. Tilak Varma 0(1) c Markram b Maharaj. IND 29-2 (2.3)
8:44 PM: WICKET!!! The first bowling change does the trick and Shubman Gill will be having nightmares of Keshav Maharaj. He dismissed him at the 2023 World Cup and he has got his wicket once again. After scoring three consecutive boundaries in the first over, Gill attempted a sweep but completely missed the line, being trapped in front. He departs for another disappointing score in T20Is. Reviews show that the ball missed the leg-stump. If only he had taken the review! Shubman Gill 12(6) lbw b Maharaj. IND 29-1 (2.2)
8:32 PM: Alright, the players have walked out to the middle in what promises to be a high-octane game of cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to play the first ball. Debutant Nandre Burger will open the bowling for the hosts. Here we go!
SA vs IND: Wanderers pitch report
The Wanderers Stadium is a batsman's paradise, with the spectators set to witness raining sixes at the venue. The ground dimensions will haunt the bowlers as the straight boundary is 77 metres long with the square boundaries being 59 metres and 69 metres long respectively.
The pitch doesn't look too green as there is a little amount of grass on the surface. The higher temperatures in Johannesburg mean that the pitch is dry due to the heat. The captain that wins the toss might opt to bowl first.
SA vs IND: Lineups
South Africa XI: Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram (C), Heinrich Klaasen (WK), David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nandre Burger
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
SA vs IND: Toss
South Africa have won the toss and opted to field first, with skipper Aiden Markram stating after the toss that he was happy with how his team approached the run chase in the second T20I.
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