Chasing runs at the Super Sport Park in the Centurion is almost always enjoyable. South Africa also created a thriller in reply to India's 219 runs on Wednesday. Like a pendulum in the death overs, the match once swung in India's direction, then again in South Africa's direction. India eventually held their nerve to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series with a thrilling 11-run win in the third T20I.
Marco Jansen scored the fastest half-century for any team against India in just 16 balls. He turned the match around by hitting Hardik Pandya with three fours and two sixes in the penultimate over for 26 runs.
Arshdeep Singh ended South Africa's hopes of victory in the last over, when the hosts needed 25 runs. However, he hit Jansen for a six off the second ball. The very next ball, the Proteas' dangerous batsman was lbw. Jansen stopped for 54 off 17 balls with four fours and five sixes. South Africa could not get 18 runs in the last three balls, 6 runs were added.
But India may not have thought that South Africa would fight like this. At the end of 15 overs, their score was 134 for 4. Hardik caught dangerous batsman David Miller (18) off Akshar Patel in the 16th over.
In the 17th over, Jansen started the Proteas' dream of victory by hitting Ravi Bishnoi for a six off the last two balls. Arshdeep stopped Einrich Klassen in the next over. Protea batsman scored 41 runs off 22 balls. Jansen, however, rekindled the fading hope by scoring the second fastest fifty for the country. But India finally won the exciting match. South Africa scored 208 runs for 7 wickets.
Earlier, Indian opener Sanju Samson called for the second time in a row. Then Tilak Verma and Abhishek Sharma scored 107 runs with the bat to build the foundation of India's big innings.
After Abhishek scored 50 runs off 25 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes, Tilak fought alone. On debut, Ramandeep Singh hit a six off the first ball to seal the match in the last over. He played a cameo innings of 15 runs off 6 balls.
Tilak was unbeaten in an innings of 107 runs off 56 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes. He got his first career century off 51 balls. South Africa could not surpass his feat.
