Sun Dec 14 13:30:00 UTC 2025: India vs South Africa 3rd T20I: India Opts to Bowl, South Africa Stumbles Early in Dharamshala
Dharamshala, India – India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the third T20I against South Africa at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. The Indian team made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana in place of Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah. South Africa made three changes of their own, with Bosch, Nortje, and Stubbs replacing Miller, Linde and Sipamla.
The decision to bowl first seemed to pay off early, as the Indian bowlers put South Africa under immense pressure in the powerplay. Arshdeep Singh struck early, dismissing Reeza Hendricks for a duck. Harshit Rana then claimed two crucial wickets, removing Quinton de Kock (1) and Dewald Brevis (2), leaving South Africa reeling at 25/3 by the end of the powerplay.
Former Indian opener Robin Uthappa suggested the Indian batting lineup should feature Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, followed by Sanju Samson at number three, Suryakumar Yadav at four, and Tilak Varma at five.
With Hardik Pandya needing one more wicket for 100 T20I wickets, and Varun Chakravarthy nearing his 50th, the match promises exciting milestones.
The series stands with India looking to capitalize on their strong start and South Africa aiming to recover and post a competitive total.
First Piper 