India vs South Africa 3rd T20I: Bowlers, Abhishek Sharma shine as India beat Proteas by 7 wickets in Dharamshala to take 2-1 series lead

Arshdeep Singh gets the nod for the player of the match, but really, all of India's bowlers were effective on the night.

Read Namit Kumar's first dispatch from the venue:

If it had been India’s batting that had let them down in the second T20I in Mullanpur earlier this week, it would be their bowling that stood up to the task of proving the 51-run hammering in Mullanpur as being nothing more than an anomaly. In their show of all-round dominance – a seven-wicket victory to take a 2-1 series lead in the five-match series – the hosts delivered a response fitting of the No. 1 T20 side in the world, defending world champions gearing up for a title defence at home.

Snow has only yet touched the peaks of the Dhauladhar mountain range that overlooks this picturesque stadium – robbed, an inch, of its serenity in the nighttime – even as North India braces for a harsh cold wave. Evening temperatures were hovering around 10 degrees, adding a layer of cold weather not quite seen for T20 games in these parts. The overwhelming expectations were that this would be a batting paradise, given the HPCA Stadium’s reputation of being a high-scoring ground for limited-overs games that take place here in warmer climes. But the chilly air and a fair wicket had more than enough in it for the seamers, wholeheartedly exploited by the hosts that won a crucial toss and sent the visitors to bat first.

And a 4-ball 10 from Shivam Dube to finish things off in Dharmashala with a flourish. A lovely lofted on drive ofF Baartman for six over long on and then a pull shot placed into the gap for four. India stuttered in the middle overs but that's a big win in T20 standards. All thanks to bowlers and a blistering start from Abhishek Sharma that broke the chase in the powerplay itself.

The captain is once again not looking all that fluent in the middle. A good square cut in the over is stopped superbly by a diving Tristan Stubbs to prevent a boundary. Last ball of that over he seemed to be beaten by Nortje's pace and ramped a short ball while off balance. But Jansen couldn't get to the catch... it fell short of him, to be fair.

Well, India got into a shell in the last few overs. Gill had slowed down significantly. And now Jansen gets the wicket. Bowled, inside edge and chopped on.

Shubman Gill b Marco Jansen 28 (28 balls)

Nortje hits 150kph in that over! He has worked up some serious space once more, all above 145ks. Finishes the over with a 149kph short ball that hurries Gill, who tries his favourite short-arm jab but hits it straight to the midwicket fielder.

This little spell from Nortje and Markram's knock are perhaps SA's only positives tonight.

Anrich Nortje gets the outside edge but Gill is lucky, the ball flies between QdK and the fielder at wide first slip. If that was a regulation first slip then it was a simple catch. Another outisde edge found too but that falls short.

Corbin Bosch gets the breakthrough. Seems like a cross-seam delivery, Abhishek goes for another lofted over the offside. But this one is all height and no distance. Markram still had PLENTY to do and he does it suprebly, running from mid off to long off and taking a fine high catch.

End of a fine innings, Abhishek has broken this chase in the powerplay you'd imagine.

Abhishek Sharma c Aiden Markram b Corbin Bosch 35 (18 balls)

Shubman Gill helps himself to one boundary in Jansen's 2nd over, a lofted drive over cover teases South Africa's fielders before going past the rope. A nearly moment in that over as he goes aerial again but gets the outside this time but it falls short of the fielder in the deep.

Nearly another golden duck for Gill. Given out LBW off the first legal delivery he faced. The ball shaped back into him and seemed good in real time. But Gill reviews it immediately even as he was taking off for a single. The UltraEdge shows a small spike but there was also a small gap between bat and ball it looked like. But the umpire sees it as a clear spike and Gill is given not out. He responds then with a gorgeous off drive for four off Jansen. That will help him get going.

Meanwhile, Abhishek is on fire. A four through fine leg and then a six over cover to finish another big over for India.

Arshdeep comes back for the 19th over after bowling three in the powerplay and he removes the big fish. After struggling with the wide full lengths in Punjab last match, he gets this one right and Markram gets the outside edge while going for a wild swing. Superb night's work for Arshdeep who finishes with 2/13.

Interestingly, Kuldeep gets the final over, now that Markram is back in the pavilion.

Another wicket for Varun and Jansen has no idea about this one. The tall man, a high back-lift.... and the ball comes in quickly through the gap before Jansen could block it. A wicket to start to that over and Varun finishes a fine night work at 2/11 after his 2 overs.

Markram holding forte as Nortje joins him.

And the dropped catch doesn't prove costly. Ferreira goes for a slog and this one goes through the bat and pad gap. Varun's guile prevails.

Donovan Ferreira b Varun CV 20 (15 balls)

AS we were saying, swing and seam on offer for India seamers tonight.

Another bowler strikes in the first over for India. Oh wow, that is a ripper from Shivam Dube. Wobble seam delivery, the ball moves back in from the wicket, and Bosch is completely beaten by this. First ball after drinks, first ball of Dube's spell... BOWLED. Top of middle and leg.

Corbin Bosch b Shivam Dube 4 (9 balls)

THAT IS ONE HECK OF A SHOT! It's been mostly about the bowlers so far, but Markram plays an absolutely gorgeous extra cover drive off Hardik, splits mid off and cover. Textbook stuff. One of the best cover drives in world cricket. He is holding SA together here in Dharamshala.

STAT ALERT: Hardik Pandya becomes the third Indian to claim 100 wickets in Men's T20Is! He joins Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah in that elite club. Bumrah had only reached

Harshit's third over is expensive. Markram helps himself to a couple of fours. One glorious extra cover drive and then a nice flick past midwicket. First signs of momentum of SA, courtesy of their captain's bat.

SA finish the powerplay on 25/3 and Hardik Pandya comes in.

Arshdeep Singh gets a third over within the powerplay, and he concedes just three runs. 3-0-9-1 are his figures.

Nearly the wicket of Stubbs in that over too, not dissimilar from the Brevis dismissal. Drive outside off, but the inside edge gets onto Stubbs' pads.

Oh dear, that is a nothing shot from Dewald Brevis. Wide from Harshit, Brevis decides to go after it. Right intent, awful execution. Gets the inside edge and the ball hits the leg stump. This is a nightmare start for South Africa.

Dewald Brevis b Harshit Rana 2 (7 balls)

On replays, a better fielder would have gotten to that mishit. Varun wasn't quick to react, he's not the most agile either.

Arshdeep returns.

What did we say before the match? It is indeed feast or famine for QdK. De Kock, after 0 and a near-ton before this match, is out for 1 this time. Harshit Rana strikes from around the wicket. Seemed plumb again, given out and De Kock doesn't even bother reviewing this one.

SA ROCKED EARLY!

Quinton de Kock lbw b Harshit Rana 1 (3 balls)

An absolute peach from Arshdeep to Hendricks after QdK gets off the mark first ball. A little bit of movement in the air and then off the pitch as the right-hander is squared up. Then one angles across the right-hander. Good start from the left-arm pacer, the radar seems alright tonight.

Have India struck in the first over here? Looked plumb in real time! Question is whether it pitched in line from the left-arm pacer bowling over the wicket. The ball nipped back in off the surface this time. AND IT IS INDEED PLUMB! That was really perfect from Arshdeep, and must be said, not a really good decision on the field. If it was Umpire's Call, it would have been harsh for India.

Reeza Hendricks lbw b Arshdeep Singh 0 (3 balls)

As Namit Kumar wrote after the last match: De Kock’s innings has given India a bit to think about after looking so invincible just a few days ago. The dew does act as a deterrent, but they had batted first and strolled to a 101-run win in Cuttack on Tuesday. For all the useful versatility and X factor that exists in their bowling lineup, when conditions do not go their way, and an opposition batter is putting on a clinic, breakthroughs are tough to buy. India’s bowling lineup and allrounder-heavy strategy is effective, but not totally flawless; Kuldeep Yadav would likely have fared better than the 1/27 and 21 runs from 21 balls put up by Axar Patel. By the time he departed just 10 runs short of his ton, a meek stumping after a mishit off-side cut, De Kock had played a central role in India’s hammering.

Who will step up for India in an attempt to tame Qdk? It's been feast or famine for the SA batter, India would like to get him early.

Arshdeep would be hoping to get some swing going early on. If he gets it nice and full like he did in Cuttack, he can trouble QdK, says Steyn. Arshdeep had a really off night at his home game in Punjab the other night. He'd need to get it right early on especially without Jasprit Bumrah.

Axar Patel is unwell, and Jasprit Bumrah misses out due to personal reasons, informs Captain Surya at the toss.

Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana come in to the XI.

SA make three changes, confirmation coming in shortly.

There is already dew and it's really cold and I expect team winning the toss to bowl first: Dale Steyn before the match

It was the joint-second-longest over ever bowled in T20 international cricket. It came in the 11th over of a nondescript match in the middle of a series between the previous World Cup finalists that are preparing for the next edition. It would prove quite instructive for both teams ahead of the marquee tournament. After a less-than-impressive spell with the new ball, Arshdeep Singh was brought back into the bowling and immediately saw his full-ish ball, at pace, picked up by Quinton de Kock, fly behind him for six. Seemingly rattled, he then proceeded to bowl seven wides, each of them to de Kock and six of them trying to deny him connection, with the wide-of-off-stump line. Part of it was due to the dew, typical of gripping the white ball under the lights in the colder months in North India, and part of it was due to an onslaught from de Kock that left India’s bowlers scrambling. The returning wrecking ball of South Africa with his phlegmatic face betraying no emotion, had scored 70 of his 90 runs by then, including 6 of his 7 sixes that led to Arshdeep losing his radar. De Kock’s stunning 46-ball 90 inspired South Africa to a chunky total of 213 for four.

By Namit Kumar

The high altitude will likely make matters worse for bowlers. With this stadium being 1,317m above sea level, the air is far less dense, and that helps carry mistimed shots that would normally be caught in the deep just a few extra metres and take them past the boundary ropes. Past precedents are hard to judge since all nine of the 10 previous T20Is here (most of them in the 2016 World Cup) have been played in February-March; the other one in October. Never before has a match been played in the searing cold of a December evening. But still, runs can be expected to be plundered. Punjab Kings won both their games here in the IPL this year with a 240+ run first-innings total. “The groundsmen here will tell you that this is an excellent wicket. I think we are expecting a lot of runs,” Conrad said.

Read more by Namit Kumar from the venue here.