IND vs SA | Pandya goes Super Saiyyan in Ahmedabad to help India seal series 3-1 with thumping win

‌Asked to bat first, India got going early with Abhishek Sharma slamming Lungi Ngidi straight down the ground for a boundary off his first ball. He meted the same treatment to Marco Jansen, before a couple of thick edges also flew to the boundary to make it a hattrick of fours. Sanju Samson joined the party with a dismissive no-look six to cap off the over, before three fours each in the fourth and fifth overs saw the hosts race past 50. Corbin Bosch finally delivered the tourists the first breakthrough with a sharp bumper that Abhishek nicked behind in the final over of the powerplay, albeit the opener was unconvinced by the decision, before Tilak Varma charged down the ground for an authoritative first-all four to end the field at 67/1. The Samson-Tilak duo kept motoring along to add 30 more in the next three overs until the former fell victim to a jaffa from George Linde that spun past the willow to strike timber, the opener departing for a 22-ball 37 to have the score at 101/2 at the halfway stage. The Proteas used the scalp to drag the run rate under with just 14 in the next two overs, which culminated in Suryakumar Yadav chipping a ball straight to mid-off to continue his lean patch of scores. However, Hardik Pandya flipped the script as soon as he walked in with a first-ball six over long-off, as Tilak also joined in to take the over for 16. Linde, who had gone for just 19 in his first three, was not spared either as Tilak began his over with a six before Pandya took him for 20 in four deliveries with some incredulous power hitting to race to 31 in just seven balls. Tilak brought up his 30-ball half-century the next over with a couple of boundaries against Ngidi, a couple overs before Pandya brought up the second fastest fifty by an Indian off 16 balls by taking down Bosch for 17 runs. Some good death bowling by Ngidi and Jansen thereafter allowed just 19 runs in two overs, and Pandya eventually holed out for 63 off 25 with three balls remaining in the innings. Nevertheless, Shivam Dube made sure his absence was not felt with a six and a boundary in the period, which included Tilak being run out on a wide for 73 in 43, as India ended their innings at 231/5.

In response, Quinton de Kock gave Proteas the perfect platform with a hattrick of boundaries in the first over with Arshdeep Singh bowling before adding 23 in the left-arm quick's erratic next effort. Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah counteracted the aggression with a string of tight overs to keep the powerplay score to 67, bringing Varun Chakaravarthy to the picture who took just two deliveries to dispatch Reeza Hendricks and get India on the board. The pressure was beginning to build with just a solitary four and six in a five-over period, only for de Kock and new walk-in Dewald Brevis to match that tally in Chakaravrthy's second effort worth 23 runs. SKY chose the moment to give Pandya his first over of the game after receiving some back massages on the sideline, but the all-rounder could not match his batting heroics as he was taken for 19. With the score 118/1 at the halfway stage and India in urgent need of a breakthrough, Bumrah was forced back into the attack. It took the quick just three deliveries to get de Kock to chip one straight into his hands after a 35-ball 65, in an over worth just four, which then compelled Brevis to take on Pandya again and hole out for 35 off 17. Chakaravarthy exacerbated matters by scalping Aiden Markram and Donovan Ferreira on successive deliveries, leaving the tourists an imrpobable 96 to get in seven overs with half the team back in the hut. A 14-run Pandya matter slightly alleviated the ask, only for Miller to succumb to Arshdeep the very next over. Chakaravrathy bagged his fourth immediately after Linde smashed him for a maximum, before Jansen struck another two sixes to keep the Proteas in the hunt with 55 required off the final four. However, Bumrah killed off any hopes by nicking behind Jansen first ball in a two-run 17th over, and eventually ended with 2/17 in his four overs as India closed out a comfortable win.

Most wicket!

What a spell

Take abow!

Boom!

Then umpire now camera man!

Action!

yes!

Umpire got injured!

Haha!

Hurt!