India going Hard at it

Pandya in record books as India thump SA to seal 3-1 T20I series win

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Hardik Pandya celebrates his half-century against the Proteas

(PTI)

Rampant India rode on a smashing fifties from Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy’s four-for to thump South Africa by 30 runs and end 2025 with a 3-1 series victory in the fifth and final T20I here on Friday.

Pandya went hammer and tongs for a 16-ball half-century — the second-fastest for India — while Tilak made a fluent 73 to lift India to daunting 231/5. In reply, South Africa were on track as long as Quinton de Kock (65) was in the middle, but lost seven wickets for 81 runs and finished at 201/8.

With India holding Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-17-2) back for later stages, De Kock went after Arshdeep Singh (1/47) as he smacked six fours and a six in two overs from the left-arm pacer in powerplay to set the tone for the Proteas.