Arshdeep Singh, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, had a torrid time in the second T20I against South Africa, leaking 54 runs in his quota of four overs. However, the left-arm pacer roared back into form in the third match of the five-game series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala as he returned with figures of 2/13 in his quota of four overs. The 26-year-old hit the ground running in the opening over of the contest as he dismissed Reeza Hendricks.
Arshdeep bowled three overs inside the powerplay as he didn’t give an inch, and this performance impressed even former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn, who was on commentary for the third T20I.
In his opening spell of three overs, Arshdeep gave away just one boundary, and it was a testament to the probing bowling he dished out, leaving the Proteas all at sea. Steyn was impressed with the line and lengths bowled by Arshdeep, saying the latter showed how the job is done in the shortest format.
“In Test matches you can get 4-5 over to work over a batter. 20/20 you maybe get 3-5 balls. Arshdeep just showed exactly how it’s done,” Steyn wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
After his opening spell, Arshdeep returned to bowl the 19th over of South Africa’s innings, and there, too, he ended up picking the wicket of Aiden Markram, who was playing the anchor role for the visitors. Markram was dismissed for 61.
It is worth mentioning that Arshdeep had a day to forget in Mullanpur in the second T20I as he gave away 54 runs, including seven wides in a single over. The seven wides didn’t impress head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the latter was seen losing his cool on camera.
India dominate South Africa in Dharamsala
In the third T20I, India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first. Arshdeep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav all returned with two wickets each as India bundled out the Proteas for just 117.
The Indian pace attack of Arshdeep, Harshit, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube stepped up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. The latter was unavailable for the third T20I due to personal reasons, and it’s unclear whether Bumrah would rejoin the squad for the final two matches.
The hosts chased the target of 118 with 25 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand as Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill played useful knocks of 35 and 28, respectively. With this victory, India gained a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
