India vs SA 5th T20I Highlights:India Beat South Africa By 30 Runs

On Friday, December 19, 2025, India and South Africa played their fifth T20 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

India won by 30 runs after bowling out South Africa for 201 while defending a target of 232.

Match Summary

India’s innings picked up speed thanks to a bold opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma (34 runs) and Sanju Samson (37 runs), who put together 63 runs for the first wicket without holding back.

Samson, stepping in for the injured vice-captain Shubman Gill, seized a rare chance, hitting Marco Jansen for a six and then following it up with two solid hits down the ground off Ottneil Baartman.

Samson looked poised for a big score until he was outsmarted by a brilliant delivery from George Linde that pitched on leg stump, gripped, and knocked over the middle stump.

Earlier, he had a close call when Donovan Ferreira dropped a sharp return catch that hit umpire Rohan Pandit near the knee roll.

After a brief dip in momentum when Suryakumar Yadav (5) had another tough outing, Pandya entered to thunderous cheers at his former IPL home ground and instantly transformed the innings.

Pandya smashed 32 runs off the first eight balls he faced.

Pandya sped past 50 in just 16 balls, marking the second fastest half-century by an Indian in men’s T20s.

At the other end, Tilak Varma once again demonstrated his maturity and shot selection, scoring 73 runs off 42 balls, which included 10 fours and a six.

The pair put together 105 runs in just 44 balls for the fourth wicket, pushing India to a challenging total.

Pandya achieved the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in men’s T20 cricket, reaching fifty in just sixteen balls.

India scored a total of 231/5.

Reeza Hendricks (13) continued his poor form and was out after a spectacular one-handed catch by Shivam Dube at midwicket, giving Chakaravarthy his first wicket.

South Africa briefly had India on edge during their chase of 232 when Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis started hitting big in the early middle overs.

Brevis and de Kock had earlier piled on 42 runs in the ninth and tenth overs, keeping South Africa in the game during the fifth T20 in Ahmedabad.

However, both fell in the next two overs, bringing India right back into contention.

The turning point came in the 11th over when Bumrah tricked de Kock into a return catch, which the bowler managed to hold onto.

In the next over, Pandya (1/41) got Brevis out with a bouncer, swinging the momentum firmly in India’s favor.

Chakaravarthy then landed the crucial blow. In the 13th over, he struck twice in two balls, first trapping Aiden Markram leg-before while he tried a paddle sweep, and then bowling Donovan Ferreira with a delivery that sneaked through his defense to hit the off stump.

David Miller’s poorly timed shot off Arshdeep in the 15th over pretty much dashed South Africa’s chances, as they went from 120/1 in the 11th over to a messy conclusion.

Chakaravarthy wrapped up with figures of 4/53, delivering a match-changing performance that helped India seal the series in a commanding way.

With this victory, India won the series 3-1.