With the series level at 1-1 with 3 games left to play, India and South Africa are set to go head-to-head in the third and most important match of the series in Dharamshala. The venue where it will be very cold and dew happening, both teams must adapt well to the conditions and fine tune their areas of concern as the T20 World Cup is on the horizon. So far, we have seen two one-sided games going in contrasting fashion. One will hope we get a close contest this time around.
India under Suryakumar Yadav started with a bang winning by 101 runs in Cuttack despite some concerns with bat in hand for the top order which was covered up by Hardik Pandya and the all-round bowling display. But in New Chandigarh Mullanpur, they crash landed and lost by 51 runs after winning the first by 101 runs. The bowling went downhill and the batting did not respond under pressure.
South Africa under Aiden Markram bounced back from Cuttack debacle to thrash India with Quinton de Kock starring with the bat and then Ottneil Baartman picking up 4 wickets to derail India. The stage is set for an interesting battle and whoever comes out on top in this one will go a long way in winning the series.
Overview
The stage is set for third T20I as India takes on South Africa at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on 14th December, 2025 at 7 PM IST onwards. Both teams arrive with contrasting emotions to this game and delivering contrasting performances in the first two games. India were brilliant in Cuttack but South Africa hit back in Mullanpur to level the series at 1-1. Both were one-sided games and we hope we get a close on in Dharamshala.
It was the Quinton de Kock show in Mullanpur after India asked them to bat first as he dazzled under the lights in New Chandigarh. He tore apart the Indian attack first in the powerplays and then in the middle overs where he did not let the spinners settle down at all. He scored a blazing 90 off 46 balls and deserved a ton but some smart keeping by Jitesh Sharma meant the innings was cut short. He got support from the other end.
Captain Aiden Markram scored 29 and held the innings together while the strong finish after Quinton’s dismissal was provided by Donovan Ferreira and David Miller as South Africa scored 49 runs in the last 3 overs to post 213/4. India had a forgettable outing with the ball with Arshdeep going for 54 in 4 overs and bowled 7 wides in a 13-ball over. Jasprit Bumrah went for 45 in 4 overs. Hardik Pandya went for 34 in 3 overs. Apart from Varun Chakaravarthy who finished with 2/29 in 4 overs, the rest went the distance.
In the chase, India faltered big time with vice-captain Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav failing for the umpteenth time. Abhishek Sharma too fell after a start scoring 17. Axar Patel was promoted up the order as India believes batting order is over rated in limited overs game. Axar made 21 off 21 balls and struggled out there. If there was resistance, it was shown by Tilak Varma who came out to bat at 5. He played a lone hand of 62 runs off 34 balls but received little or no support.
Hardik Pandya was not fluent in his 20 off 23 balls while Jitesh Sharma played a brief cameo towards the end and scored 27 off 17 balls. But this was not enough as concerns lay for the Indians as this team seems to have loopholes a lot. The opening combination is not working, players have no role clarity and the bowlers also went for runs. There is a sense of insecurity and tension in the Indian camp and it seems it is India with all to do in this match.
South Africa, on the other hand, have their issues and are figuring things out. They will rotate the squad it seems like they made 3 changes in last game but their focus will be on the win. Someone like Corbin Bosch might get a game in Dharamshala. It is going to be intriguing to see the playing XI of both teams in this game as South Africa will make changes and you never know with India. They may start making changes and Harshit Rana or Kuldeep Yadav might get a game. Sanju Samson is unlikely to get a game.
There will be changes in batting order for India as experiments shall continue. So, it will be interesting to see how things pan out as no team is the favourite in this game and it is tough to predict a winner. Will India bounce back from New Chandigarh loss or will South Africa go ahead in the series? One has to wait and find out the answer.
Head-To-Head
India and South Africa have played with each other 33 times with India holding a slight edge winning 19 and South Africa winning 13. One match ended in a No Result. It is 6-4 to India in last 10 games and in India, the two teams are locked and nothing to choose between the two teams.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the HPCA Stadium is expected to be a belter. The last T20I played here was way back in February 2022. The high altitude conditions also come to the favour of the batting side in the picturesque setting with the ball bound to ping faster off the bats. The fast bowlers will have something to play with early because of the chilly conditions. Expect high scores of 200+ as seen in last IPL and the bowlers will have to hold their composure. Captains will opt to chase should they win the toss but it may not be a decisive factor seen in the first two games.
The weather will be chilly to say the least and will hover pretty much straight throughout the course of the game around 10 degrees Celsius from match time. It will hover around there and the players have to be adjusted to this weather.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will predict the probable playing XIs of both sides.
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Abhishek Sharma: Abhishek Sharma has got off to little starts in this series but hasn’t been able to convert them into big scores. He has the potential to do it and might unlock it in this match. Abhishek will want to play a game defining knock and give India the start they need. With the pitch expected to favour batters to a large extent, expect Abhishek to bounce back and make things easier for everyone.
Varun Chakaravarthy: The one shining light for India was Varun Chakaravarthy in Mullanpur. He bowled well and kept South Africa under check for a long time. He will want to continue his good work and with pitch expected to aid batters, his spell could be crucial in the context of the game. He will want to do well for his side and help them edge ahead in this contest.
Quinton de Kock: Fresh from his stellar knock in previous game, Quinton de Kock will want to drive home the advantage in this particular fixture. He would want to be consistent as so far he has scored big runs and then followed it up with a single digit score. So, Quinton will aim to be consistent and perform for his side and he loves India and if he continues to perform like he did in New Chandigarh it will help South Africa win more often than not.
Corbin Bosch: Corbin Bosch did not get a chance to play in the first two games. He would want to come into the side first and will be raring to go. Bosch is a good bowler in the death overs as he keeps things tight from one end and picks up crucial wickets. Then, with bat in hand down the order he can be the finisher South Africa desires. He can strike the long ball and has hurt India a lot in the limited overs series as well. We expect him to play and make a big impact.
Key Stats/Records to look out for in this game
- Hardik Pandya needs one wicket to complete 100 T20I wickets. He is also 61 runs away from 2000 T20I runs.
- Varun Chakaravarthy needs one wicket to get to 50 T20I wickets.
- Abhishek Sharma needs two fours to complete 100 4s in T20Is. He is 3 maximums away from 300 6s in T20s.
- Marco Jansen needs four runs to complete 1000 runs in T20s.
- Aiden Markram needs 7 runs to complete 5000 T20 runs.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of this clash
It is tough to predict a winner after seeing two one sided clashes between the two teams. It is tough to gauge momentum of a side in T20Is. It will come down to who turns and plays better on the day. But looking at both sides, India have more issues to address than South Africa and so we feel South Africa has a better chance to beat India. But India might come up with their A-game for all we know.
We are in for a terrific game of cricket and let’s hope we get a close one tonight in Dharamshala. Let the better team on the night win.
Also Read:Â IND vs SA: Questionable Batting Style By India