India rallied well in the third and final T20I of the series, defeating South Africa by 106 runs on Thursday, December 14 at New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, after losing the second match by five wickets. The Men in Blue maintained their outstanding record in Twenty20 Internationals in South Africa thanks to the bats of Suryakumar Yadav and the ball of Kuldeep Yadav. The absence of the DRS during the game’s second inning garnered media attention in addition to the outstanding performances by the Indian pair. The error might have cost India the match because it gave star batsman David Miller a lifeline against Ravindra Jadeja in the ninth over of the innings.
David Miller bat had an outside edge, which Jadeja found on the fourth ball of the over and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma comfortably collected.
The assured Indian side raised an appeal, but the umpire signaled that the run was not out by shaking his head. Because of a technical issue that caused the DRS to go down and then be restored a few overs later, the Men in Blue were unable to review the decision.
The replay shows a clear deflection, but DRS isn’t available due to technical glitch. Indians must be gutted with disbelief. #SAvsIND pic.twitter.com/W2Qvgd54H2
— चिरकुट ज़िंदगी (@Chirayu_Jain26) December 14, 2023
In the 14th over, Miller was eventually out for 35 (25) as Kuldeep Yadav broke his stumps to dismiss South Africa for 95. But if the hitter had continued to play one of his team’s game-winning innings, the event might have gained local attention.
For his birthday, Kuldeep Yadav chose a fifer.
Returning to the field, India amassed a massive 201/7 in their allotted 20 overs after being put in to bat first, driven by a brilliant century from Suryakumar Yadav. In his innings, the Indian skipper hit seven fours and eight sixes for a score of 56.
On his birthday, Kuldeep Yadav took a fifer as South Africa was bowled out for just 95 runs in the second innings of their reply. With 5/17 in 2.5 overs, the wrist-spinner concluded with his best-ever T20I stats, helping India square the series 1-1.