century helps India to an 11-run win and an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the series” title=”India's players celebrate during the third T20I against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion, South Africa. (AP)” decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high”/>India edged South Africa by 11 runs in the third T20I to secure an insurmountable 2-1 lead in the four-match series. The fourth and final T20I will be played at Wanderers on Friday.
Tilak Varma's stunning unbeaten 107-run show and Abhishek Sharma's brisk 50 runs took India to 219/6 in 20 overs while batting first.
How it happened:India vs South Africa 3rd T20
In response, South Africa narrowly pushed India to 208/7. Marco Jansen's 17-ball 54 gave India nervous moments while defending the total. But he eventually crashed in the final, ending any chance of a remarkable turnaround in the result.
Jansen top-scored for South Africa, followed by Heinrich Klaasen's 22-ball 41. Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton also led the way with 29, 21 and 20, respectively.
🔴LIVE: IND vs SA 3rd T20I Live: All eyes are on Abhishek Sharma as the visitors eye the series lead in Centurion
For India, Arshdeep Singh proved crucial in repelling South Africa's attempts and delivered with the new ball and at the final end of the game. He finished with figures of 3/37 while Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets for 54 runs.
Earlier, Tilak Varma delivered an outstanding performance, scoring an impressive 107 as India posted an impressive total of 219/6. Abhishek Sharma made an important contribution with a brisk 50 after South African captain Aiden Markram opted to bowl first.
The 22-year-old Tilak unleashed a powerful attack on the South African bowlers, hitting seven sixes and eight fours in just 57 balls, helping India post their second-highest score against the Proteas in the format.
Abhishek, who ended a poor run with the bat, played a crucial role with a flamboyant half-century and scored 50 runs from just 25 balls, including five sixes and three fours, as the two left-handers showcased their batting prowess.
Tilak controlled the game with his long-range shots and kept India on track despite a few hiccups. He formed a crucial 107-run partnership with Abhishek for the second wicket and built a solid foundation after the early defeat of Sanju Samson (0).
Although Keshav Maharaj (2/36) slowed the scoring in the middle overs, Tilak launched a late attack and scored 52 runs in the last six overs in just 22 balls, allowing India to capitalize on their strong start.
His explosive knock helped eclipse the struggles of captain Suryakumar Yadav (1), Hardik Pandya (18) and Rinku Singh (8).
Samson was sent off for the second consecutive time in the series after being hit on a low bounce by Marco Jansen, a stark contrast to his hundred in the opening game of the series. However, this time India bounced back strongly with Tilak and Abhishek making full use of the pitch which offered good bounce and carry opportunities.
Abhishek's rapid-fire fifty gave the Indian team a much-needed boost as his ability to score through the line after creating space proved effective. The 24-year-old also ended an eight-game losing streak with this inning.
