India beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the T20 series after their bowlers skittled the tourists for 117, with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh's performance setting up the platform for a dominant win for the hosts in Dharamsala.
Axar Patel's 11-ball 21, laced with a four and a six in the last over off Marcus Stoinis, was instrumental in India's 48-run victory in the fourth T20I.
The match was slipping out of LSG's hands until Shivam Dube bowled the 19th over.
Bonafide six-hitter Shivam Dube on Monday said his ability to play a wide range of strokes against spinners is "god's gift" but overcoming issues against express pace and bounce will require plenty of hard work.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
Dube has 350 runs in nine outings at a strike rate of 172.41, including three half-centuries.
In a surprising move, KKR's batting sensation Rinku Singh was not picked in the 15-member squad.
The architects of the win were Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who blasted a 105-run opening stand that left Pakistan's bowlers gasping.
'Post the game, Rohit bhai said I played really well and that we'll chat to improve my game in upcoming games. Today I got the opportunity and executed what I had to in bowling'
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
Unlike the IPL, the wickets in the United States and the West Indies could be slow and could assist spinners. That could be why India went in for experience in their batting ahead of strike rates, points out Harish Kotian.
Formidable India have their tails up as they head to the gargantuan MCG for the second T20I against Australia here on Friday, thanks to the influx of young talent and the return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
When the Indian team entered the ICC Cricket Academy Arena for their evening net session ahead of the Asia Cup, Samson was the first to start his solo keeping drills with fielding coach T Dilip, even as others were just about lumbering up.
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
Shivam Dube on Saturday said that the IPL will play a vital role in the Indian team's preparations
After this snub, it looks difficult for Shubman Gill at this point to make a comeback to the T20 team with plenty of talented young players waiting in the wings.
SMAT 2025: Hardik comeback on cards, chance for rich domestic talent to shine before IPL auction
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
'The way Abhishek and Shubman bat, it is like fire and ice.'
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
What this game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore produced was an all-round team performance of epic proportions spearheaded by some of the most iconic individual performances this season.
The triumph at the Dubai International Stadium marked India's ninth Asia Cup title and showcased the team's grit, character, and ability to perform under pressure.
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra lauded Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Shivam Dube and said that the left-hand batter should be there in the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 following his match-winning performance against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 fixture on Tuesday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube blasted quickfire half-century as India thrashed Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20 International against Afghanistan.
Images from the fifth T20 International between India and South Africa, in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
India's spinners took six wickets in a stunning fight back to rout Australia by 48 runs in the fourth T20I on the Gold Coast on Thursday.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
Images from the second T20 International between India and South Africa, at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium, Mullanpur.
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson expressed disappointment about India refraining from engaging in the customary handshake when his side made attempts towards it after the end of the match.
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
India will be keen to get the job done against Bangladesh and seal their place in Sunday's final before considering resting their players.
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
Shami puts Bengal on top of points table with easy win vs Services
It is believed that captain Sanju Samson has asked Rajasthan Royals to trade him or release him into the auction, signalling an end to his long association with the franchise.
Once Dube departed in the 16th over, it was always going to be a big ask for RR to post a challenging total.
Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to the Indian team, smashing a blistering half-century to power India to a thumping 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International.
