Friday sees South Africa end its 2025 tour of India after spending over a month in the country. The match is a T20 to be played in 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 5th T20 Venue: Dharamshala
India VS South Africa 5th T20 Date: Sunday, December 14
India VS South Africa 5th 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.
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 third T20 swung the series back in favor of the hosts. On a rough batting track in Dharamshala, South Africa produced only 117 when put in to bat. The innings would have been even worse if not for a valiant 61 off 46 balls from Aiden Markram. India kept the run rate in their favor throughout, winning by seven wickets inside 16 overs.
The 4th T20 was abandoned, so the best the Proteas can hope for out of this series is a 2-2 draw.
India
India may have claimed at least a draw in this series, but they have been far from perfect. The form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill has been inconsistent at best.
Gill might not even make this match. A toe injury he picked up before the fourth T20 means that Sanju Samson is likely to take his place at the top of the order.
South Africa
Makram was outstanding in the third T20, so there are some calls for his name to replace the out-of-form Reeza Hendricks. Dewald Brevis is another who could use a big display with the bat on Friday, with the Indian bowlers in this format mainly having controlled the dangerous youngster.
Best Bets
South Africa will throw everything at this as they look to end the tour on a high. I like them to win straight up, looking to carry momentum into the stretch before the World Cup.
