India vs South Africa, 5th T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

That brings an end to South Africa’s tour of India and they can certainly look back on it as a successful one. They whitewashed India in the Tests, pushed them hard in the ODIs before narrowly losing 2-1, and used the T20I series to fine-tune their squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup here. India, too, will take plenty of positives from the T20Is - valuable match practice, a clearer understanding of their strengths and a good look at areas that still need attention before the mega event in February. There are still a few questions to be answered and they’ll hope to iron those out when New Zealand come visiting next month. That’s all from us. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Suryakumar Yadav: From the start of the series, we wanted to stick to a particular brand of cricket and we did exactly that. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted to express ourselves in all departments and the results are right there in front of everyone. Yeah, this is something we felt was missing in our last few series. This is exactly how we wanted to bat, once someone gets going, they don’t stop. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully. Yes, we wanted to try something different. The plan was to use Bumrah in one over in the powerplay, control the middle phase after drinks and then have him ready for the death overs. Washi stepped up brilliantly today and took responsibility. We were under pressure at times, we were challenged, but this game is about how you respond and the boys did really well. It’s been challenging but a very good series. We did almost everything we wanted to. Maybe the only thing we couldn’t quite manage was finding “Surya the batter” I think he went missing somewhere!(smiles) But he’ll be back stronger. As a team, I’m really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through. As captain, that’s very satisfying.

Varun Chakaravarthy | Player of the Series: It was a high-intensity match and probably the best game of the series. I really enjoyed it. That’s the role assigned to me; my first option is always to look for wickets. There’s no reason not to. So whenever I get the ball, my mindset is to attack and look to make an impact. I talk to all of them - Surya, Sanju and others. They always encourage me and those conversations really help. (How do you stay ahead of the curve?) Just by constantly evolving. I try to bring something new every series. If it works, great; if not, I go back, work on it and come back stronger. That’s how I keep improving. I would like to dedicate this to my mom, dad, and sister.

Hardik Pandya | Player of the Match: Winning games is what you play for and it’s always exciting when your contribution helps the team get over the line. No, I actually didn’t know (he has the second fastest fifty for India) until I got out and went back. Our social media guys told me I was the second-fastest. My first reaction was, “Ah, I missed the top spot!” But happy that Yuvi pa holds that record. Today I just felt it. I actually told my partner beforehand that I was going to step out first ball and try to hit it for six. I was confident it would come off. The situation suited my style; I backed myself and it worked. I took a calculated risk and thankfully it went my way. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge. No matter how many setbacks you face, the aim is to come back stronger, better, and make a bigger impact. When it all comes together, it feels satisfying. But the journey continues - the preparation, the planning, the hard work never stops.

Aiden Markram: Tough loss. Chasing 230 was always going to need a near-perfect effort. Quinny and the top three set it up really well for us and we were right in the contest. But in the middle overs, we just couldn’t quite maintain that momentum. Still, there’s plenty to take away - lessons we’ll learn as a group. And with quite a few World Cup games being played here, I’m sure this experience will prove valuable. we wanted to expose Brevis to that pressure situation. He makes batting look really easy at times and that phase of the game was important. There was also a tactical angle - left-right combinations, trying to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition. In T20 cricket, there isn’t always a strict batting order; a lot of it is gut feel. That’s what we went with tonight, and I think flexibility is something most T20 teams rely on. It was challenging, definitely. We were asked some tough questions. That’s a good thing because now we have a clearer idea of what’s required if we want to lift the World Cup. We faced a quality Indian side that played really well, and credit to them. But we also looked inward, identified areas to improve, and the lessons we’ve learned over these two weeks are invaluable. (have they got clarity about their squad) Yeah, absolutely. Early in the series we did a bit of experimenting - different combinations, trying players in various roles, figuring out where we get the best out of everyone. I think now we’ve got a lot of answers. Heading into the World Cup, things will definitely be more structured. Whatever we do, it’ll be with one goal in mind - giving ourselves the best chance to lift that trophy.

More often double of 50+ runs & 1+ wkts in T20I (India)
4 - Hardik Pandya*
3 - Yuvraj Singh
2 - Virat Kohli
2 - Shivam Dube

Varun Chakravarthy vs SA in T20Is
3/25 (4)
5/17 (4)
2/54 (4)
2/42 (4)
2/19 (3)
2/29 (4)
2/11 (4)
4/53 (4)

– 22 wickets at an average of 11.36, SR: 8.4, ER: 8.06

Most T20I wickets in a calendar year for spinners (FM teams)
38 - Wanindu Hasaranga (2021)
36 - Wanindu Hasaranga (2024)
36 - Tabriaz Shamsi (2021)
36 - Mohammed Nawaz (2025)
36 - Varun Chakravarthy (2025)*

India vs South Africa in bilaterals T20I (last seven)
2018: India won 2-1
2019: Drawn
2022: Drawn
2022: India won 2-1
2023: Drawn
2024: India won 3-1
2025: India won 3-1

This is also India's eighth consecutive T20I series win and this is India's 14th successive unbeaten T20I series, the streak includes: 2023 Asian Games, 2024 T20 WC, and 2025 Asia Cup. The last time they lost a T20I series or tournament was in August 2023 against West Indies (3-2).

South Africa featured in 13 bilateral series since Jan 2023, of which they have won just one series against Pakistan at home in December 2024. South Africa last beat India in a T20 bilateral series more than ten years ago in October 2015.

Most wins for India against an opponent (T20Is)
22 vs Australia (37 mats)
21 vs Sri Lanka (33 mats)
21 vs South Africa (35 mats)*
19 vs West Indies (30 mats)

Tilak Varma: I know how the Ahmedabad wicket goes (plays) here. The way Abhishek and Sanju bhai played at the start of the game, I knew that the wicket was good. So I just want to maintain that strike rate and I just want to show that intent. (On the partnership with Hardik) It was incredible batting by Hardik bhai. It was a treat to watch from the non-striker's end. The way he was hitting was very clean and he was fantastic to watch. To be honest, I don't have a target in mind when batting. I just want to score as much as I can. We were looking to get 230-240 and we got there in the end. (On him bowling) To be frank, I'm really working hard on my bowling. Hopefully you can see me in the coming games. It's better to ask Surya bhai (smiles). But hopefully you can see me in the coming games.

22:58 Local Time, 17:28 GMT: In the end, it turned out to be a comfortable win for India, though it certainly didn’t look that way at the halfway stage of the chase. Quinton de Kock gave South Africa a blazing start, matching India’s powerplay score and keeping the visitors firmly in the contest. Once Brevis joined him, the momentum really swung their way, the pair dismantled the bowling and powered the chase to 118 at the 10-over mark. That’s when SKY turned to his trump card: Jasprit Bumrah. And as he so often does, Bumrah delivered. He dismissed de Kock with a sharp return catch, triggering a collapse that saw South Africa lose 4 for 15, slipping from 120/1 to 135/5. Varun Chakaravarthy then joined the party with a 4-fer, but it was Bumrah’s spell that truly separated the two teams. In a high-scoring match, he finished with an astonishing 2 for 17 from his 4 overs. South Africa needed someone to steady the innings after losing de Kock and Brevis and to take the game deep, but no one was able to do that. India seized control and never let go. Presentations coming up..

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