AHMEDABAD: Rampant India rode on a smashing fifties from Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy’s four-for to thump South Africa by 30 runs and end 2025 with a 3-1 series victory in the fifth and final T20I, here on Friday.
Pandya went hammer and tongs for a 16-ball half-century — the second fastest for India — while Tilak made a fluent 73 to lift India to daunting 231/5. In reply, South Africa were on track as long as Quinton de Kock (65) was in the middle, but lost seven wickets for 81 runs and finished at 201/8.
With India holding Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-17-2) back for later stages, De Kock went after Arshdeep Singh (1/47) as he smacked six fours and a six in two overs from the left-arm pacer in powerplay to set the tone for the Proteas.
But in a lopsided approach chasing 230 plus, De Kock alone did the heavy-lifting in the powerplay as Reeza Hendricks (13) had another disappointing outing. His stay was ended with a brilliant one-handed grab from Shivam Dube at midwicket for Chakravarthy’s first wicket.
Unfazed, De Kock continued to plunder runs as he and Dewald Brevis (31) put on 51 off 23 balls for the second wicket and by the halfway mark, South Africa had placed themselves perfectly to gun down the target.
With runs leaking from both ends, Bumrah foxed De Kock with one that had the left-handed giving a return catch which the Indian hung on to in the 11th over. In the next, Pandya (1/41) bounced out Brevis.
But the Proteas were truly pegged back by Chakravarthy (4-0-53-4) who struck twice in as many balls in the 13th over.
He pinned Aiden Markram leg-before trying to paddle sweep and then produced a beauty that sneaked through Donovan Ferreira’s defence to peg the off-stump.
David Miller’s mishit off Arshdeep in the 15th over shut the doors on South Africa, who lost the plot from 120/1 in the 11th over.
Earlier, Pandya (63) hit the second fastest T20I fifty for India while Tilak produced a fluent 73 to help the hosts set a imposing 232-run target.
In a whirlwind knock laden with five sixes and as many fours, Pandya’s seventh half-century (63 off 25 balls) came off only 16 balls — now the second-fastest ever for any Indian with Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball milestone against England at Kingsmead back in 2007, still perched firmly at the top.
He put on 105 off only 44 balls in a brilliant fourth wicket partnership with Tilak just when the momentum had slowed down for India, who finished at 231/5.
If Pandya produced a minute-a-mile knock, Tilak once again showed his repertoire of strokes around the ground making 73 off 42 balls with 10 fours and a six.
Pandya walked out amidst chants of his name at his former IPL home ground as out-of-sorts India captain Suryakumar Yadav (5) endured yet another failure.
It was Pandya’s brute force in the strokes that he played which stood out, sending the ball flying far into the stands of the world’s largest stadium.
At the other end, Tilak provided the assurance with a second half-century of the series, mixing up aggression and rotation of strike deftly after Abhishek Sharma (34) and Sanju Samson (37) provided early fireworks.
Samson dazzled on what is now a rare opportunity to open with India vice-captain Shubman Gill sidelined due to an injury, and almost made a strong case for a discussion for the World Cup selection in Mumbai on Saturday.
However, as ever has been the case, Samson made all the right moves until he was done in by a beautiful George Linde delivery that pitched on leg stump and gripped before beating Samson’s bat to crash into the middle stump.
He began with a six over wide long on against Marco Jansen and followed it with two spectacular hits down the wicket off Ottneil Baartman to make a strong statement at the top of the order.
While putting on 63 runs for the first wicket, neither Abhishek nor Samson took the foot off the pedal and provided a glimpse of another possible successful pair tailor made for the format.
Shortly before he was dismissed, Samson also got a lifeline when a powerful hit straight back to the bowler Donovan Ferreira burst through his hands and hit the umpire, Rohan Pandit, near the knee roll.
Later, even Pandya’s six injured a broadcast crew, who got a big bruise on his left bicep even as spectators enjoyed balls landing 10 rows behind. (PTI)
