Fans react as India light up Dharamsala with clinical win over South Africa in third T20I
India produced a dominant overall performance to defeat South Africa by seven wickets in the third T20I at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. After electing to bowl first, the Indian bowlers dismantled the Proteas’ batting line-up before the hosts easily chased down a modest target to take complete control of the contest.
Arshdeep Singh stifles South Africa with splendid bowling
The decision to field first paid immediate dividends for India, as the pace trio quickly made inroads into South Africa’s top order. Quinton de Kock And Reeza Hendricks were dismissed cheaply, leaving the visitors under pressure on the power play. Arshdeep Singh was exceptional with the new ball, conceding just 13 runs in his four overs while picking up two wickets. Varun Chakaravarthy complemented him perfectly in the middle overs, using his variations to good effect and finishing with impressive figures of 2 for 11.
Harshit RanaAggressive spells brought new breakthroughs, although it was slightly costly, while Hardik Pandya And Shivam Dubey chipped with a wicket each. Kuldeep Yadav‘s short spell had just as much impact as he scored twice in just two overs, ensuring that South Africa never found a way to accelerate.
Aiden Markram’s resistance stands out
Amid the collapse around him, the South African skipper Aiden Markram played alone to give his team some respectability. Markram scored 61 from 46 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes, and showed composure as wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end. Donovan Ferreira provided brief support with a quick 20 from 15 balls, but no other batter managed to reach double figures with any authority. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 117 in exactly 20 overs, a total that always looked below par on a real Dharamsala surface.
Batters finish chase with ease as India take lead
India’s response started on a positive note Abhishek Sharma took on the South African bowlers from the start. The left-hander smashed 35 off just 18 balls, including three fours and three sixes, to give the hosts early momentum. Although wickets fell at regular intervals, India never allowed the required run rate to increase.
Shubman Gil anchored the innings with 28 off 28 composed balls, rotating the strike effectively, while Tilak Varma played a calm knock of 26 off 34 deliveries to ensure there were no late hiccups. Suryakumar Yadav added a quick 12 before Shivam Dubey finished the chase in style with a quickfire 10 from four balls.
Despite Good luck And Marco Jansen Picking up a wicket each, the South African bowlers were unable to apply sustained pressure. India reached 120 for 3 in 15.5 overs, sealing a seven-wicket aggregate victory. The victory underlined the bowling depth and composure of India, who dominated South Africa in all departments in the third T20I.
ALSO WATCH: Arshdeep Singh eliminates Reeza Hendricks with a beauty in 3rd T20I – IND vs SA
Here’s how fans reacted:
Shivam Dube with the winning runs 🥳#TeamIndia record a 7-wicket win at Dharamshala and lead the series 2⃣-1⃣
Dashboard ▶️ https://t.co/AJZYgMAHc0#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/TUodMWQAo5
– BCCI (@BCCI) December 14, 2025
🚨 INDIA DEFEATED SOUTH AFRICA IN THIRD T20I 🚨
– Surya and his team take a 2-1 lead. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uVEAaWu9u9
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 14, 2025
💥 India dominates in Dharamsala! 🇮🇳
Convincing 7-wicket win gives India 2-1 lead in T20I series! 🔥💙
Dashboard: https://t.co/D08ShRYLSU#INDvSA #3rdT20I #cricket #dharamsala #India pic.twitter.com/F6n2zUacSv
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) December 14, 2025
I played a beauty ✨
And so casual about it 😮💨 #INDvSA
📷: Jio Star pic.twitter.com/1OxFZzB66F– Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 14, 2025
INDIA DEFEATED SOUTH AFRICA IN 3RD T20I.
– India takes the lead 2-1. pic.twitter.com/2SlUPFzK8T
–Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 14, 2025
India leads 2-1 in the series 🔥#SAvIND #SAvsIND #INDvSA #INDvsSA
– Prakhar Srivastava (@PrakharSri7) December 14, 2025
Sanju Samson watches 27 bullets 28 execute Shubman Gill’s terrorism. 💔#INDvSA #savind #indvssa #savsind pic.twitter.com/Aj1QoQfQtD
-Bhai_Ayush (@Ayush90656) December 14, 2025
Abhishek Sharma completed his 300 sixes in T20Is today#abhisheksharma #INDvSA #SAvsIND #bbvipks4
—Anand Shukla | Cricket | Politics | Sports (@unsubtledesilad) December 14, 2025
Shivam Dube came:
6️⃣ 4️⃣
Bas bhai, finish the match quickly 🔥#INDvSA #INDvsSA
– Hardik Gohil (@GohilHardy) December 14, 2025
A big congratulations to Varun for taking 50 wickets in T20 cricket. Consistency pays off!👏 Many more to come🔥#varunchakravarthy #INDvsSA #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/xhmOXbowS2
– venkki.ram (@venkkiram) December 14, 2025
The Indian team registered an easy victory in Dharamsala! 🇮🇳💙
The hosts chased down the target with 25 balls to spare to take a 2-1 series lead. 👏#INDvSA #T20East #SurykumarYadav #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/NMTNaUgrVW
-Alinawaz Siddiqui (@ghazipur63) December 14, 2025
India’s middle order is currently completely distorted and is becoming a growing concern. This team depends heavily on Abhishek Shama. #INDvSA
– Prisha (@prishhss) December 14, 2025
Also READ: IND vs SA: Hardik Pandya writes history with unique milestone in 3rd T20I
