Despite cold winds in Dharamshala, India played with fiery intent under the lights. After the Mullanpur loss, the home team bounced back strongly. Bowlers hunted in packs, keeping South Africa under pressure. Abhishek Sharma’s fearless strokeplay sealed a seven-wicket win and a crucial series lead.
Bowlers Set the Stage, Abhishek Breaks the Chase
India’s bowlers dictated the contest from the opening over in treacherous conditions. Arshdeep Singh was the player who initiated the scoring very fast right from the start of the innings, and Harshit Rana also did a good job by maintaining a sharp pace and great discipline. South Africa collapsed early, losing three wickets for just 24 runs inside the powerplay.
Aiden Markram was the only one to fight as he scored a calm fifty in a South African innings that fell apart alongside Markram. The Indian spinners operated from one end and with their control and variations Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav completely dominated the middle overs and suffocated the batsmen. 117 South Africa crawled on to a total that was very much below par on a good pitch.
India began their chase with aggression and clarity. Abhishek Sharma attacked every length and pace delivery without hesitation. Shubman Gill provided stability as boundaries flowed freely in the powerplay. The chase effectively ended inside six overs.
Even a brief middle-overs slowdown failed to create tension. Shivam Dube ended the game in style, emphasising India’s batting depth. The balance between the assault and the restraint was what largely defined India’s most complete performance of the series.
Series Momentum Shifts Decisively
With this victory, India take a 2–1 lead and solid command of the series storyline. The bowling department has raised answers to the questions that were posed in the last match. The rise of Abhishek is a very positive sign that adds heat to the selection debate.
South Africa really need to have a quick turnaround if they want to keep the series alive. India are now in a very good position in terms of momentum, confidence and tactical clarity going into the fourth T20I.
