India thrashed South Africa by a commanding 106 runs in the third and final Twenty20 International of the series on Thursday at the Wanderers, thanks to a masterful century from Suryakumar Yadav.
India was given the opportunity to bat first, and Suryakumar ended up scoring 100 in 201 overs.
South Africa fell to 95 all out after left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, 29, took a career-best five for seventeen.
We wanted to play cricket in a fearless manner. In response to receiving the player of the series and match awards, Suryakumar said, “That was one box we wanted to tick—to put runs on the board and then defend it.”
The captain of India scored his fourth century in T20 international cricket with 55 balls, hitting seven fours and eight sixes. India lost three wickets in the final over delivered by Lizaad Williams, including a run-out when he was caught at deep square leg off the next ball.
During the third over, Suryakumar sustained a left ankle injury while fielding, which prevented him from playing for the majority of the South African innings.
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Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who took over as captain, was a key player in South Africa’s collapse, removing captain Aiden Markram for a hard-hit 25 with his opening ball.
Not that bad, really. Suryakumar said, “I’m walking, so everything is good,” in reference to his wounds.
Mohammed Siraj’s brilliant maiden over against Reeza Hendricks set the tone for India’s bowling effort, with three slips in position for the last two deliveries of the over.
The spinners, however, were the ones who did the most damage. Kuldeep took four wickets in seven deliveries, tearing through the lower order, while Jadeja took two for twenty-five.
The pitch looked perfect for batting when Suryakumar and Yashasvi Jaiswal (60) hammered the bowling in a fourth-wicket stand of 112 off 70 balls, but Jadeja and Kuldeep both got turns and the odd low bounce.
The Indian batters seemed to be having an easy time, and Markram congratulated them for it.
Suryakumar was placed to bat after left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in a row in the third over. He was rather silent for the first twenty-three balls needed to reach his first twenty-five runs, but then he started to show off all of his skills, including smashing leg-side sixes off of balls of respectable length.
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