Suryakumar Yadav smashed a century off just 55 balls as India beat South Africa by 106 runs in the third T20I, ending the T20I series in a 1-1 draw. This was Suryakumar’s fourth century in T20I cricket, putting him on par with Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell for the most centuries in this quick format of the game.
Earlier, Suryakumar shifted gears and attacked the South African bowlers in the second half of his innings. He smashed Andile Phehlukwayo for three sixes and a four in the 13th over.
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Suryakumar’s century was full of seven fours and eight sixes. He also became the second-highest six-hitter for India in T20Is, surpassing Virat Kohli’s record of 117 maximums. Only Rohit Sharma has more sixes (182) in T20Is for India than Yadav.
His innings helped India reach 201/7, even though they lost quick wickets in the last few overs. Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal also contributed with 60 runs off 41 balls, creating a strong partnership with Suryakumar for the third wicket.
In response, South Africa struggled from the beginning and couldn’t recover after losing three wickets in the Powerplay. Mohammed Siraj bowled superbly, creating pressure despite not getting a wicket.
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Later on, the spinners, especially Kuldeep Yadav, dominated the game. On his birthday, Kuldeep took five wickets, achieving his best T20I figures (5/17).
Only three South African players, including captain Aiden Markram (25), David Miller (35), and Donovan Ferreira (12) reached double figures. They were all out for 95 runs, falling short of the 201-run target by 106 runs.
This T20I series ended in a draw, with the first match canceled due to rain, the second match won by South Africa, and the third match convincingly taken by India.
