south africa vs india : Pandya's double blast: Hardik creates new history by taking 100 sixes and 100 wickets!

The third and deciding match of the T20I series between India and South Africa in Dharamshala witnessed a phenomenal display of seam bowling by the Indian attack. With the series levelled at 1-1, India opted to bowl first after winning the toss, a strategic move considering the heavy dew expected later in the evening. The pace attack, led by Arshdeep Singh and debutant Harshit Rana, completely vindicated Suryakumar Yadav's decision, dismantling South Africa’s top order within the first seven overs.

Toss Decision and Team Changes: The Absence of Bumrah and Axar
Prior to the match, the Indian squad faced two major setbacks. Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned to Ahmedabad for personal reasons, while all-rounder Axar Patel was ruled out due to illness.

Why is Jasprit Bumrah not playing? Captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that Bumrah was unavailable due to personal reasons.
Bumrah's absence created an opportunity for Harshit Rana to make his debut. Rana’s proven batting ability at No. 8 allowed the team to include an extra spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, to partner Varun Chakravarthy.

South Africa also made three changes: Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, and Anrich Nortje replaced David Miller, Lutho Sipamla, and George Linde.

Arshdeep Singh's Blazing Start: Powerplay Wicket-Taking Record
The decision to field first paid immediate dividends as fast bowler Arshdeep Singh delivered a blistering opening over. Arshdeep, who had been expensive in the previous match, bounced back strongly with the new ball exhibiting significant seam movement.

After beating Reeza Hendricks's outside edge twice with away-swingers, Arshdeep brought one back sharply into the right-hander. Hendricks missed the line completely and was trapped plumb in front. A quick DRS review confirmed the decision, leaving South Africa struggling at 1 run for 1 wicket in 0.4 overs.

Arshdeep Singh Powerplay Wicket Record: With this crucial wicket, Arshdeep Singh surpassed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s tally of 47 wickets to become India’s leading wicket-taker in the powerplay overs (1 to 6) in T20 Internationals, now standing at 48 wickets.

Harshit Rana's Double Blow: Dismissals of De Kock and Brevis
Following Arshdeep's initial strike, debutant Harshit Rana capitalized, landing two vital blows that severely crippled the South African innings.

The Curious Case of De Kock
In his very first over, Rana claimed the crucial wicket of the dangerous Quinton de Kock.

• De Kock misjudged a full, straight delivery from Rana, playing across the line and missing it by a wide margin, leading to an easy LBW decision.
• There was no seam or swing movement; it was just the angle. De Kock, falling over, paid the price for playing across the line.
• This "gift" wicket meant South Africa stumbled to 1 run for 2 wickets in 1.2 overs.

Brevis Drags It Back On

• Rana’s second wicket was the highly-rated youngster Dewald Brevis, who came in aiming to attack.
• Brevis tried to go hard at a long, wide half-volley but committed the mistake of only using his hands without any foot movement.
• He ended up dragging the ball back onto his own stumps.
• South Africa was reeling at 7 runs for 3 wickets in 3.1 overs.

Hardik Pandya’s Historic 100th Wicket: Achieving the Rare Double
With the two main quicks bowling out the powerplay, Captain Suryakumar Yadav introduced Hardik Pandya immediately after, sensing that the ball was still nipping slightly.

Pandya targeted the struggling Tristan Stubbs. Stubbs attempted to walk down the track, but Pandya shortened the length, and the ball got a slight nip off the pitch.

Stubbs attempted to run it down to third man, only managing a thin edge through to the keeper, marking the fourth dismissal.
South Africa was 30 for 4 in 7 overs.

How did Hardik Pandya complete 100 sixes and 100 wickets? This wicket was Pandya's 100th T20 International wicket. This achievement makes him only the fourth man globally to have recorded the rare double of 100 sixes and 100 wickets in T20Is, joining an elite club that includes Mohammad Nabi, Sikandar Raza, and Virandeep Singh.

Analysis of South Africa's Batting Collapse
It has been a dismal start for the South African side, who struggled significantly against the quality and movement generated by the Indian seamers. They had to wait for 17 legal deliveries to hit their first boundary. None of the top four batsmen could cope with the pace, accuracy, and seam movement. Reeling at 30/4, the responsibility now falls heavily on the shoulders of the middle order, including Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen, to stabilize the innings and post a competitive total.