Arshdeep, Rana Shine as India Take 2-1 Lead in Dharamsala T20I

India took the series lead after defeating South Africa by seven wickets in the third men’s T20I at seamer-friendly Dharamsala pitch on 14 December 2025. An early damage by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana pegged South Africa to a below-par 117, before a quick fire from Abhishek Sharma completed the job despite bringing up respite in the final few balls.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep was right on the money from the first over as he had Reeza Hendricks played on with movement off the track. Rana supported him cleverly, taking two early wickets as South Africa slumped to 7 for 3 in less than four overs. There was resistance from Aiden Markram with a well-made 61, but he had no support at the other end.

India’s spinners set the shackles in the middle overs, and Varun Chakravarthy came up with a match-winning spell of 2 for 11. His dismissals of Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen brought to a close what had been South Africa’s only real resistance. Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya picked up some late wickets as South Africa provided little resistance, all out for 117.

In response, Abhishek Sharma carried out a fierce onslaught at the top with 35 off only 18 deliveries. His blustery strokeplay in the powerplay allowed India to go clear without jitters, and quickly killed the game as a contest. Shubman Gill stood tall as India chased down the target with seven wickets to spare.

India lost a couple of wickets in the chase, but with such a small target, there was never any real threat. Abhishek’s explosive beginning turned out to be the difference as India took a 2-1 lead in the series with an all-round domineering performance.

Match Summary: India vs South Africa 3rd T20I at Dharamsala