India beat South Africa as warm up for T20 World Cup defence pounds forward

India’s preparations for their T20 World Cup defence look daunting as South Africa swept aside in 3-1 series win.

India won the Twenty20 series against South Africa 3-1 after taking the last match of the series by 30 runs in Ahmedabad.

Second fifties in the five-match series by Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya powered India to 231-5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. South Africa’s chase collapsed from 120-1 to 201-8.

Jasprit Bumrah triggered South Africa’s downfall when he caught and bowled Quinton de Kock on 65 off a yorker and finished with an outstanding 2-17 from four overs.

Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy was plundered for 23 runs in one over by de Kock and Dewald Brevis but had the last laugh with 4-53.

Sanju Samson, covering for an injured Shubman Gill, used his first T20 since October to open with Abhishek Sharma and smash 63 runs inside six overs and 97 after nine.

Samson’s and Abhishek’s 11-runs-per-over launch was extended by Varma and Pandya, who combined for 105 in 7.2 overs until they both fell in the last over.

Varma hit a 30-ball fifty with his seventh boundary, and Pandya got to fifty in 16 balls thanks to his fifth six, over deep midwicket.

Pandya was eventually caught at deep midwicket for 63 off 25 and walked off to a standing ovation, followed two balls later by Varma, who ran himself out off the penultimate ball for 73 off 42.