Images from the fifth T20 International between India and South Africa, in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
India rode on a smashing fifties from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, and Varun Chakravarthy's four-for, to thump South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth and final T20I in Ahmedabad on Friday and end 2025 with a 3-1 series victory.
Pandya went hammer and tongs for a 16-ball half-century — the second fastest for India — while Tilak scored a fluent 73 to power India to a commanding 231 for 5.
In reply, South Africa were on track as long as Quinton de Kock (65) was in the middle, but they lost seven wickets for 81 runs thereafter and finished with 201 for 8.
With India holding Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-17-2) back for latter stages of the match, De Kock went after Arshdeep Singh (1/47). He smacked six fours and a six in two overs from the left-arm pacer in Powerplay to set the tone for the Proteas.
However, in a lopsided approach while chasing 230-plus, the opener alone did the heavy-lifting in the powerplay as Reeza Hendricks (13) had another disappointing outing.
Hendricks's stay was ended by a brilliant one-handed catch from Shivam Dube at midwicket, which gave Chakravarthy first wicket.
Unfazed, De Kock continued to plunder runs. He and Dewald Brevis (31) put on 51 off 23 balls for the second wicket and by the halfway mark South Africa were well-placed to gun down the target.
With runs leaking from both ends, Bumrah foxed De Kock with one that had the left-hander offering a return catch which the pacer hung on to in the 11th over.
In the next, Pandya (1/41) bounced out Brevis. But the Proteas were truly pegged back by Chakravarthy (4-0-53-4), who struck twice in as many balls in the 13th over.
He pinned Aiden Markram leg-before, trying to paddle sweep, and then produced a beauty that sneaked through Donovan Ferreira's defence to peg the off-stump.
Earlier, it was all about Pandya's second fastest T20 International fifty for India and Tilak Varma's fluent 73
In a whirlwind knock, laden with five sixes and as many fours, Pandya's seventh half-century (63 off 25 balls) came off only 16 balls — now the second-fastest ever for any Indian, with Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball milestone against England at Kingsmead back in 2007 still perched firmly at the top.
Earlier, He put on 105 off only 44 balls in a brilliant fourth-wicket partnership with Tilak just when the momentum had slowed down for India.
If Pandya produced a minute-a-mile knock, Tilak once again showed his repertoire of strokes around the ground while scoring 73 off 42 balls, which included 10 fours and a six.
Pandya walked out amidst chants of his name at his former IPL home ground as out-of-sorts India captain Suryakumar Yadav (5) endured yet another failure.
It was Pandya's brute force in the strokes that he played which stood out, sending the ball flying far into the stands of the world's largest stadium.
At the other end, Tilak provided the assurance with a second half-century of the series, mixing up aggression and rotation of strike deftly after Abhishek Sharma (34) and Sanju Samson (37) provided early fireworks.
Samson dazzled on what is now a rare opportunity to open with India vice-captain Shubman Gill sidelined due to an injury, and almost made a strong case for a discussion for the World Cup selection in Mumbai on Saturday.
However, as ever has been the case, Samson made all the right moves until he was done in by a beautiful George Linde delivery that pitched on leg stump and gripping before beating Samson's bat to crash into the middle stump.
He began with a six over wide long on against Marco Jansen and followed it up with two spectacular hits down the wicket off Ottneil Baartman to make a strong statement at the top of the order.
While putting on 63 runs for the first wicket, neither Abhishek nor Samson took the foot off the pedal and provided a glimpse of another possible successful pair tailor made for the format.
Shortly before he was dismissed, Samson also got a lifeline when a powerful hit straight back to the bowler Donovan Ferreira burst through his hands and hit the umpire, Rohan Pandit, near the knee roll.
Later, even Pandya's six injured a broadcast crew member, who got a big bruise on his left bicep even as spectators enjoyed balls landing 10 rows behind.
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