India finished the T20I series in style on Thursday night as they beat South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth and final match. With this win, India sealed the series 3-1 and ended their 2025 T20I season on a high. Batting first, India put up a big total of 231 runs. South Africa tried hard in the chase but kept losing wickets at key moments and fell short in the end.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya power India to huge total
South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bowl first. That decision did not go well for the visitors. The Indian batters attacked from the start and never slowed down.
Sanju Samson looked calm and confident after returning to the playing XI. He played freely and helped India get a strong start. After that, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya took full control of the game.
Tilak Varma played with great intent. He later said he knew the pitch well and felt it was good for batting. He focused on keeping the runs flowing and praised Hardik Pandya for his clean and powerful hitting. The two batters added quick runs and kept the pressure on the bowlers.
🚨 STAT ALERT🚨
⏩ This is India’s 8th consecutive T20I series win
⏩ This is India’s 14th successive unbeaten T20I series#INDvsSA #INDvSA #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/cPSPfXq1CU— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 19, 2025
Hardik Pandya was at his best. He hit the ball hard and found gaps with ease. His shots lifted the crowd and pushed India closer to a massive score. Tilak Varma shared that the team was aiming for around 230 to 240 runs and was happy they got close to that target.
Among the South African bowlers, George Linde bowled well for most of his spell, while Lungi Ngidi showed some control. Still, the rest of the pace attack struggled, and India finished with 231 on the board.
Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy stop South Africa’s chase
Chasing 232 was always going to be tough, but Quinton de Kock gave South Africa hope with a fast start. He attacked Arshdeep Singh early and kept the scoreboard moving. Dewald Brevis was promoted to number three and matched de Kock shot for shot.
At 118 for 1 after 10 overs, South Africa looked in the game. Then the match turned. A short break in play and a ball change shifted the momentum.
Jasprit Bumrah broke the big partnership with a sharp spell. Soon after, Hardik Pandya removed the other set batter. Varun Chakaravarthy then struck twice, dismissing Reeza Hendricks and Donovan Ferreira, and the chase began to slip away.
Aiden Markram fell trying an unorthodox shot, and the lower order could not handle the pressure. Despite a late six from Corbin Bosch, South Africa ran out of runs and time.
India closed the game calmly and won by 30 runs. The result sealed a 3-1 series win and wrapped up a memorable all-format tour for India in T20I cricket.
