INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA T20I REPORT

 Chasing 170, South Africa were bowled out for 87, their lowest total in T20Is

Dinesh Karthik made his T20I debut in India's first T20I match. In 2006. Before this format was played in bilateral series, before it had a World Cup, and before even the IPL.

It has taken him 16 years and 36 matches but finally, he has his first half-century in the format. And he scored it in India's biggest win over South Africa and fifth-biggest in T20Is, to leave the series locked 2-2 ahead of Sunday's finale.

Karthik's milestone came in the final over, after a 65-run partnership, off just 33 balls, between Karthik and Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket, which rejuvenated India after they came together at 81 for 4 in the 13th over. India scored 73 runs in their last five overs and finished on 169 for 6, which proved more than enough for their attack to defend.

On a surface with uneven bounce, most of India's line-up struggled, until Hardik and Karthik came together. Hardik took on the spinners and the slower balls while Karthik was severe on anything that offered width, and they took India to a competitive total, albeit one they may have assessed as perhaps slightly under-par at the halfway stage. But in response, South Africa's line-up was not able to adapt to the pace of the pitch or India's bowling and were dismissed for their lowest total in T20Is.

They had one partnership of 20 but imploded from the moment their captain, Temba Bavuma, retired hurt with an elbow injury, and they lost their last five wickets for the addition of just 13 runs. Only three of their batters got into double figures. All of India's bowlers, bar Hardik, conceded 5.25 runs to the over or less, but their stand-out was seamer Avesh Khan. He dismissed Dwaine Pretorius, who appears to have become a permanent pinch-hitter at No.3, in the final over of the powerplay, and then took three wickets in this third over to finish with career-best figures of 4 for 18.

Pant's (not) on fire

It hasn't been a good series for Rishabh Pant with the bat so far and, other than the lack of runs, what may concern him are the ways he has been getting out. In three of his four innings, Pant has been dismissed off wide deliveries outside the off stump, deliveries that could have been called wide had he left them alone. On this occasion, Pant got down on one knee to swipe a slower Keshav Maharaj ball over third man. He was early on the stroke and the ball ballooned to Dwaine Pretorius at short third man, strategically placed for exactly that. Maharaj celebrated like a plan had worked, because it had.