Sunday sees South Africa continue its 2025 tour of India with a T20 in Dharamshala. This is the third of five T20s, with the final two to be played in Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
These white-ball matches are key, as they serve as preparation for both teams ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played on many of the same pitches in February.
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
India VS South Africa 3rd T20 Venue: Dharamshala
India VS South Africa 3rd T20 Date: Sunday, December 14
India VS South Africa 3rd T20 Odds:
History
This tour has seen mixed success for the Proteas.
The Test squad swept India 2-0 with victories in Kolkata by 30 runs and a 408-run thrashing in Guwahati. The pounding set a new record Test defeat for India by number of runs, with Player of the Match Marco Jansen and spin sensation Simon Harmer skittling the hosts for 201 in their first innings and 140 in the second.
The white-ball squad looked to follow the lead of the reigning World Test Series Champions, but they fell to a 2-1 series defeat in the ODIs.
The first T20 also went the way of the host nation. South Africa held India to 175/6 after putting them in to bat. It seemed a reachable target, but that was before the Proteas put together the worst innings in their T20 history.
South Africa was bowled out for 74 inside 13 overs. Four Indian bowlers each took two wickets, with Axar Patel taking his two for just seven runs. Seven Proteas batsmen failed to score more than five runs, including opener Quinton de Kock, who lost his wicket to Arshdeep Singh for a duck.
The Proteas struck back in the second T20. India put South Africa in to bat on what was expected to be a tricky wicket, but the Proteas put up an impressive 213/4 from their 20 overs. The side was paced by Quineton de Kock, with his 90 from 46 balls being his best performance since returning to the field earlier this year.
The South African bowlers then took over. Orrniel Baartman took 4/24 as India was bowled out for 162 on a deteriorating surface.
India
Will India drop vice-captain Shubman Gill on Sunday?
It would be a massive move in this series, but Gill has been terrible through two matches. He was removed for just four in the first match, then was even worse on Thursday, out for a golden duck.
If Gill is dropped, then look for Sanju Samson to replace him in the lineup.
South Africa
Baartman was an inspired choice by the selectors, with South Africa making three changes to the side that was so miserable in the first match. The medium-fast bowler was impressive, picking his lines well and varying the pace of his deliveries to confuse the Indian attack. Expect to see more of that here as he should retain his spot.
Best Bets
One big note from Thursday was the explosion with which the Proteas finished its innings. The last three overs provided 49 runs, with South Africa using their wickets in hand to put up a competitive total. It was a clinic in T20 strategy from the team batting first.
Taking South Africa to win is the play here at 39/20. They feasted on India’s pace attack on Thursday, taking Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh for a combined 99 runs without a wicket. Stay on the Proteas to win outright.
