India vs South Africa Highlights, 4th T20I: IND beat SA by 135 runs to win series 3-1 in Johannesburg

India needs just one wicket to seal the series here. Apart from second game in St Geroge's Park the Indian team has won all the games comprehensively batting performances have been absolutely top not from the visitors thus far in the series.

Ramandeep has comeback for his second over and it has been another poor one from him. He doesn't seem to have lot of variations does Ramandeep. As we update Axar Patel picks up a wicket and it is Tilak Varma who took an excellent innings. 

Axar Patel comes in and picks up Coetzee. It was an arm ball which the batter did not pick and the ball went high in the air and Samson took the catch. Axar did not had much to do in the series but he would be happy that he is amongst the wickets here.

Jansen is connecting a few here. We have seen in the last game what he can do and today once again he is repeating the feat. Surya still have to bowl a couple of overs of fifth bowler. As we update he has brought in Axar Patel here. 

Chakaravarthy picks another one. It was half-tracker from the bowler which Similane tried to whack on the leg-side however, got the top edge straight to fine-leg fielder. South Africa have lost seven wickets but both Jansen and Coeztee has the ability to spoil bowlers figures here.

Bishnoi tossed one up and Jansen smacked it for a six. One thing that is pretty evident that it is a good six-hitting ground is The Wanderers. And once the batter has got himself in runs have been easy to come by and at a brisk pace.

Well, Miller got hold of Chakravarthy and spanked a couple of sixes over 100 meters. However the spinner had the last laugh when the bowler threw one wide outside the off-stump and Miller dragged it straight to long-on region. South Africa lost five now.

Stubbs is playing a good hand here. He came in when all the chaos was unfolding however, has kept his cool, and now once the ball lost a bit of shine he is getting a few boundaries. Miller on the other hand though has faced 22 balls and is still yet to find his timing in this innings.

We are half way through the mark and South Africa needs 20 runs ever over from here. Which is next to impossible. However, one thing they can do is practice some shots and get a few runs away. There is no turn at all and the conditions are now looking very good to bat on.

There is the first big over and it is Ramandeep who conceded 21 runs. The bowler bowled some lovely half-trackers which Stubbs accepted gleefully. Some sort of respite that for South Africa. Surya needs to spinners here all of them soon.

Varun Chakravarthy has come into the attack. After taking a pasting in the last game he has started well here. He has slowed up the pace nicely and was able to beat batters in the flight and South African batters look like they will attack the Indian spinners.

Ramandeep has come into the attack and there is still that odd ball which is swinging. There is not much of seam moment but the bowlers with good wrist position can decide how the bowl behaves. It will be interesting to see how spinners bowl on this one.

This has been the worst possible powerplay for South Africa. Looking at the way India batted in the first innings their batters would have hoped to make a menace however, it did not happen the ball was swinging and Arshdeep Singh got it right. 

South Africa needs to build a partnership here. Not that they can win by doing that but at least it will give some confidence to their players. And also once the ball loses a bit of shine the batting will get easier and boundary hitting too. 

This is the discrepancy that happens when teams have to play in two different parts of the day. India got to bat under natural light and South Africa is getting their second innings with artificial lights where the new ball always tends to swing more and we are seeing the results of it.

Arshdeep Singh has picked up two wickets in that over. First it was Aiden Markram who hit a skier which Bishnoi took well and then it was an incoming delivery and Klassen had no feet moment whatsoever and was trapped in front of the wicket. This is increasingly looking like sorry looking scorecard for South Africa.

Hardik comes in and picks up Rickelton. The batter tried to hoik a ball on the leg-side and edged to the keeper. Two wickets in the first two overs for India quite the contrary start this for what South Africa has seen in their early overs. India all over South Africa.

Fablous start from Arshdeep Singh. Reeza Hendricks could not have done much about the delivery the ball came in sharply to hit the top of the off-stump. He is moving the ball both ways and South Africa is put on the back foot in the very first over of the chase.

It is a bit hard to tell right now, since I'm breathing so fast. I have had so many failures in my life, got two hundreds and then two ducks, I kept on believing in myself, kept on working hard and it came off today. After a couple of failures there were a lot of things going on in my head, Abhishek helped me out early on and then Tilak as well. [on Tilak] I have had so many partnerships with him, he is a very young prospect and he is the future of Indian cricket and lovely to have a partnership with him. I don't like to talk much, last time I talked too much, I got a couple of ducks, I would like to keep it simple and focus on what I can do. [on this total] That's what our captain was expecting from us, and we are happy we made it happen.

Well, there comes the innings break and all the South African bowlers would be feeling this as the longest 20-over innings they have ever been on the field. Congratulations to both Samson and Tilak who have played a gem of an innings each. It will take something incredible from South Africa to get back into this game do join us for the second innings shortly

This is sheer brilliance from Tilak. He seems to have an answer for every delivery and it feels like he knows what the bowler is going to bowl before the bowler himself knows just with the field set. His potential has been at full display here today.

Well, it is Samson who got to his 100 first. A cut through the point region and he got a couple to get there. Well, get used to it folks now he is making a habit of it in this format. It is his third T20I 100 in the last five T20I games he is on a hot-streak here. As we update Tilak gets to his 100.

Much needed tight over from Similane. He just gave away 10 runs in that over. He got his yorkers right and it increasingly seems like that is the way South African bowlers are going to go. A yorker or nothing. Coeetze has changed ends for South Africa here.

Tilak Varma has caught up here with Samson. What an inning this is turning out to be from the left-hander. He is playing an excellent hand. Usually so far in his career he has shown a side to bat responsibly however, in this series he is showing he has other games as well.

The shoulders are now dropping. India was presented with three opportunities as Coetzee created those chances however, South Africa managed to ruin all three of them. It is not helping their cause is their fielding. India or well on their way to score 300-runs.

50 for Tilak Varma what an innings it has been from him. At no point was he in the mood to play the second fidel infact in the last few overs he has dominated Samson. As we update Coetzee has come into the attack which is a good sign for South Africa.

Tilak and Samson have now put in a 100-run partnership. Tilak too who usually tends to take a bit of time to get himself in started taking on the bowling right away. Markram has now resorted to spinners and he is hoping that Indian batters just mistime one. 

300 is looking on for India and this is not the first time as well in recent times. South Africa need to come up with a plan here there just dosent seem to be an alternate plan on how to restrict the Indian batters here. The best method would to be to just keep bowling on side of attack.

The rampage continues. No matter who the bowler is it seems like Indian batters have made up their mind that their first option is to take it on for a six and if it is not hittable then they will look for singles. Extraordinary power hitting this from the Indian batters.

Well, another big over has come. This is looking ominous for Markram half-way into the innings. Sanju Samson has gone past his half-century and after two ducks is looking good for a ton. It has been all or nothing for him in the last few games for Samson.

Well well, we jinxed it just as we updated spinners started well Tilak Varma went after Keshav Maharaj. Him along with Samson squeezed 19 runs of that over. Lot of things to ponder upon here for Makram because India is scoring too many runs too quickly.

Very good over from Aiden Markram. He just gave away eight runs in it. Things have gone pretty well for South Africa since the Powerplay. The spinners are bowling some nice lines and lengths and the batters just seem to be trying too hard.

One bad news for South Africa is Coetzee has pulled of before bowling a delivery in the sixth over if he won't come to bowl Aiden Makram has to get through three overs from else where and given there is a left-hander in the middle he himself might come into attack.

Sipamla gets the wicket. It was an excellent over from the youngster not only did he mix up his pace well but was spot-on with his length. Abhishek trying to make room for himself got the top edge straight to the keeper. Tilak Varma has walked into the middle.

Similane has been put to the sword here. It has been too easy for Abhishek Sharma. The bowler doesn't seem to have a variation as such which can deceive the batter. He kept putting the ball there and Abhishek with ease kept moving around the crease to get his boundaries away. 

Samson is looking good here. He has adjusted nicely to the bounce of the surface with his good backlift anything that is a touch on the shorter side he is whacking it through the mid-wicket for a boundary. South Africa might consider pitching a few up to him.

It has been either all or nothing at the moment from the Indian batters. Either they are getting to the pace and bounce of the surface or can get boundaries. South Africa for all the opportunities they have created so far they don't have a wicket to show for.

It is a big over from Coetzee he gave away 12 runs in that over. Samson expecting the length to be short set himself up nicely and pulled one for six and then cut one through the point region for a boundary. The bounce seems to be pretty good as well on this one.

Well, that was quite a spicy over from Marco Jansen. There is a bit of green tinge to the wicket and Indian batters seem to be in terms of the pace and bounce of this wicket. It might be testing opening burst for both Abhishek and Samson against South African seamers.

The sun is shining bright here at The Wanderers. The crowd is filling nicely there is quite a bit of support for both sides. Expect a cracker of contest today as both teams have something at stake here. Both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson walk into the middle.

"It has been a slightly cooler day in Johannesburg. We are in the centre of the square. We have a decent hit straight, 86 meters, the square boundaries - 62 and 66 meters. It looks really good. Usually the pitches here have no grass and cracks but we are devoid of that today. There's a decent covering of grass. No cracks. It is going to carry through nicely and the ball will come on. It is a kind of pitch where you go after the bowlers then you can put some jitters,"

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy

Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Andile Simelane, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla

We weren't sure (whether to bat or bowl). Probably leaning towards batting. We haven't put hundred percent in all three departments. We are edging towards it. We can't win the series but we pulled one back after being 1-0 down, so we can take confidence from that and try to level the series. We are going with the same team.

We are going to bat first. We have been doing that well in the last 2-3 games and we want to stick to that. The plan has been clear from the first game. Putting runs on the board and defending is something we have been wanting to do. It is a quick turnaround, one day gap between the games but the boys are professionals. Same team.

The need for patience and understanding for bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, who are often overlooked in favor of big-hitting batsmen in T20I cricket. Despite his impressive performances, bowlers like Arshdeep sometimes face criticism for off days. The text suggests that a balanced approach is necessary, recognizing the contributions of both batsmen and bowlers to the success of the team.

Arshdeep Singh's impressive wicket-taking ability, especially considering his young age. At just 26, he has already taken 92 T20I wickets, a feat only surpassed by Shaheen Afridi among fast bowlers. This achievement is even more significant when compared to other Indian fast bowlers, such as Jasprit Bumrah, who had taken fewer wickets at the same age. Arshdeep's ability to consistently take early wickets and his overall impact on the game make him a valuable asset to the Indian cricket team.

Arshdeep Singh's effectiveness in dismissing batsmen early in their innings. When left to bowl without senior pacers, his strike rate increases slightly, but he still maintains a strong performance. A significant number of his wickets have come early in the innings, including a high percentage of ducks. This ability to remove batsmen early in their innings is a valuable asset for the Indian team and contributes to their success in T20I cricket.

Arshdeep Singh's aggressive bowling style complements Bumrah's economical approach, making them a formidable bowling pair. When they bowl together, Arshdeep's economy rate improves significantly, as he focuses on taking early wickets while Bumrah controls the run flow. This partnership has been crucial for India's success in recent T20I tournaments, especially the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Arshdeep Singh's death bowling performance to Jasprit Bumrah's. While Bumrah remains the benchmark, Arshdeep has still performed well in the death overs, picking up a significant number of wickets. However, his economy rate in the death overs is slightly higher compared to other top death bowlers. This area could be improved upon to make him an even more effective bowler in the death overs.

Arshdeep Singh's rapid rise in T20I cricket. Despite his young age and limited experience, he has already established himself as a key player for the Indian team. His ability to take early wickets, especially dismissing openers, has been crucial for India's success in T20I cricket. Arshdeep's impressive economy rate and wicket-taking ability have made him a valuable asset to the team, filling the void left by the absence of experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Arshdeep Singh, a young Indian pacer, has quickly risen to prominence in T20I cricket. Despite occasional inconsistent performances, he has consistently taken wickets and surpassed established bowlers like Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, his recent performance in South Africa highlighted his vulnerability at the death overs. Overall, his contributions to the Indian team have been significant, and he is on track to become one of India's leading bowlers in the shortest format.

Tilak Varma's early exposure to pressure situations, starting from his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 16. This early experience, combined with his leadership role in leading Hyderabad out of the Plate Group, has contributed to his maturity and confidence. These qualities, along with his technical skills, make him a valuable asset to the Indian cricket team.

Tilak Varma's confidence and self-belief were evident in his recent performance. He requested a promotion to the number three position, even ahead of the Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and delivered a century. This bold move, supported by Suryakumar, highlights Tilak's growing stature in the Indian team and his potential to become a crucial player in the future.

Tilak Varma's improved wristwork allowed him to effectively counter the threat of spin bowling. He successfully negotiated deliveries from Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram, who had previously dismissed him in the series. By adjusting his stance and timing his shots well, Tilak was able to score runs off both spinners, including a reverse sweep off Markram. This performance significantly improved his strike rate against spin bowling, showcasing his versatility and ability to adapt to different bowling styles.

Once the South African bowlers stopped bowling short, Tilak Varma found it easier to score runs. He particularly excelled in playing the flick shot, scoring 26 runs off this shot, including two sixes. This shot became his most effective weapon on the night, highlighting his adaptability and ability to adjust to different bowling strategies.

Tilak Varma's unconventional batting style, characterized by a staggered stance and a lack of big hits between square leg and the sightscreen, differentiates him from other left-handed batters. However, his unique approach allows him to reach and play shots in other areas of the field. In his recent century, Tilak effectively utilized the backward square and backward point regions, hitting five sixes and two fours in these areas, including a reverse-lap shot over the keeper. This performance showcased his versatility and ability to score runs in different ways.

Tilak Varma effectively countered the threat of short-pitched deliveries from South African bowlers. He responded aggressively to the width offered by Marco Jansen, hitting boundaries early on. Despite facing short balls, Tilak's partnership with Abhishek Sharma allowed him to adapt, use different strokes, and ultimately score a century. This performance showcased his improved ability to handle short-pitched bowling and his growing maturity as a batsman.

A potential weakness in Tilak Varma's batting: his vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries, especially those that move around the hips. Facing left-arm pacers like Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, who often bowl short, could have exposed this weakness. Tilak has struggled in the past with short balls, leading to his downfall on multiple occasions.