IND vs SA 2024, 3rd T20I: India Player Ratings as Tilak and Abhishek give Men in Blue 2-1 series lead
Team India took a 2-1 lead in the four-match series as they won the third T20I by 11 runs in Centurion on Wednesday, November 11. The Men in Blue held their nerve to clinch a high-scoring contest, with Tilak Varma being named the Player of the Match for his sensational century.
After Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to field for the third game running, India lost a wicket in the first over but didn't let that deter them. After posting an above-par 219-6 on the board, the visitors bowled well in phases to restrict the Proteas to 208-7.
On that note, here are India's player ratings from the third T20I against South Africa.
IND vs SA 2024, 3rd T20I: Tilak hits ton; Arshdeep impress
Abhishek Sharma: 8/10
Abhishek finally found some form as he struck a fluent half-century. He made room to hit a few creative shots through the off-side and ensured that India made the most of the powerplay.
Sanju Samson: 4/10
Samson bagged his fourth duck in his last five away T20Is, with Marco Jansen castling him once again. The ball did keep a bit low, but an opener is expected to deal with that.
Suryakumar Yadav: 2/10
Suryakumar hasn't been at his best in the series thus far. The Indian skipper found sweeper on the off-side boundary to be dismissed for just one. He also dropped a fairly straightforward catch.
Tilak Varma: 9/10
Coming in at No. 3, Tilak played his shots right from the outset. He made sure that India capitalized on the powerplay and continued that momentum through the middle overs despite wickets falling at the other end. The left-hander was excellent against both pace and spin, in a superb innings.
Hardik Pandya: 4/10
Hardik tried his best, but he just couldn't get going with the bat. A sweep brought about his downfall as he scored 18 off 16. Playing in a two-man pace attack, the all-rounder dished out a few too many loose deliveries at the death. He picked up two wickets but went for 50 runs.
Axar Patel: 7.5/10
Axar did his job with the ball, bowling four overs to some excellent spin hitters and conceding just 29 runs. He also picked up the wicket of Delhi Capitals teammate Tristan Stubbs. The all-rounder dropped a catch early on but plucked a stunner on the boundary to dismiss David Miller.
Rinku Singh: 2/10
Rinku just couldn't get going. He labored to 8 off 13, and his recent T20I form has been far from impressive.
Ramandeep Singh: 7.5/10
Making his international debut, Ramandeep made an immediate impression as he struck his first ball for a maximum over long-on. He played a quickfire cameo before being run out while trying to steal a bye.
Varun Chakaravarthy: 5/10
Chakaravarthy picked up two important wickets, but he did have his worst outing of the series so far. He pitched up a couple in the slot which Aiden Markram butchered, and then lost the plot against a rampaging Heinrich Klaasen. While the spinner was bowling to some of the world's best T20 batters and won't always get it right, his execution was consistently poor at times.
Ravi Bishnoi: 7.5/10
Bishnoi was one of India's better bowlers on the night, even though he ended without a wicket to his name. His skiddy nature ensured that he kept things tight, with a couple of sixes in his last over ruining his figures slightly.
Arshdeep Singh: 8/10
Arshdeep picked up three wickets while performing a difficult role in the powerplay and at the death. While he lost his radar at times, it was a decent display given the conditions on offer.