South Africa won the toss and chose to field in a do-or-die match against India in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue sailed to a score of 231/5 in 20 overs with explosive knocks by Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma. The Proteas failed to reach the target, scoring 201/8, which led India to clinch the T20i series on their home soil.
How the first innings looked
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya hit fiery half-centuries. Hardik Pandya broke the record of the second-fastest T20I fifty by an Indian after reaching the milestone in just 16 balls. India posted a mammoth 231/5 after being invited to bat by South Africa in the fifth T20I in Ahmedabad on Friday, 19 December.
The Indian side was provided with an aggressive start by Sanju Samson (37) and Abhishek Sharma (34). Sanju Samson made his only appearance of the series after replacing injured Shubman Gill in India’s lineup.
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Chakravarthy fools the Proteas with his spin again
Varun Chakravarthy has been in the headlines for climbing up to the No. 1 spot of the T20i rankings of bowlers. He had a splendid evening at Ahmedabad, taking four wickets. His spell was expensive, conceding 53 runs of his quota of 4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah kept his lines and temperament right, clinching two important wickets and conceding just 17 runs in his 4 overs. Arshdeep and Hardik proved to be expensive today, taking one wicket each.
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India has won the series against the Proteas 3-1. After a shameful loss in the Test series on Indian soil, the Men in Blue were able to bounce back at the white-ball competition. India carried their rhythm and played with composure. Every team member played their part, even after losing out on Shubman Gill due to injury.
