The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa started at Dharamsala on Sunday, December 14. The Men in Blue won by seven wickets to take a 2-1 lead and recover from their crushing defeat in the previous game in Mullanpur.
Overall, India performed admirably. All six bowling options were on the wickets, and none had a low economy rate. In the hunt, however, a few key players did not shine brightly.
On that topic, here are two Indian players who underperformed and one who shone in the third T20I against South Africa.
3. Flop – Suryakumar Yadav
The Indian captain’s 2025 has been a rough one. Suryakumar Yadav’s strike rate and average don’t make for pleasant reading, and the last thing the hosts need before a T20 World Cup is uncertainty surrounding their captain’s form.
But this is the situation they find themselves in now. Suryakumar’s poor run continued in Dharamsala even though he walked in with the match in a good position. Although the first wicket fell near the end of the powerplay, India chose to send in Tilak Varma instead of their skipper.
By the time Suryakumar Yadav came out to bat, the match was almost done and dusted. He still couldn’t take the team across the line. Worryingly, he got out playing a shot that once used to be his trademark, hinting that his hand-eye coordination might be fading.
2. Star – Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh didn’t have any good moments in Mullanpur but he impressed when it came to the third T20I against them at Dharamsala. The left-arm pacer was adjudged Player of the Match for picking up 2/13 in his four overs.
Arshdeep made the new ball talk both ways, removing Reeza Hendricks in the first over. He continued to threaten wickets throughout his spell and claimed the prized scalp of Aiden Markram in his final over — a very promising performance from the seamer.
1. Flop – Shubman Gill
Another batter struggling for form, Shubman Gill looked completely out of rhythm in the third T20I. He scored 28 runs, but none of them inspired much confidence.
Gill had several close escapes — surviving a Marco Jansen LBW appeal on his first ball and edging the ball multiple times. His footwork appeared sluggish even as the South African bowlers extracted movement off the pitch.
Once India were ahead of the required rate, Gill didn’t show the intent to accelerate. It seemed he wanted to finish unbeaten, but that plan fell apart after yet another tentative poke off Jansen.
