5th T20I: India look to end series on winning note against South Africa

AHMEDABAD: First and foremost, it appears that Friday night’s fifth and final T20I between India and South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium will go ahead without any interruption from fog or smog! After being denied action in Lucknow on Wednesday — where the fourth T20I was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to excessive fog — home fans will hope the Men in Blue wrap up South Africa’s challenging tour of the country on a winning note.

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Not surprisingly, the world’s largest cricket stadium is expected to be near capacity. “Around 78,000 tickets have already been sold and we’re expecting a crowd of close to 80,000. A major reason is that the series is still technically alive — it can end 2-2 if South Africa win or 3-1 if India do,” a Gujarat Cricket Association official told TOI on Thursday.




Credit must be given to this spirited South African side, which has tested India across formats for nearly a month, for generating genuine interest in the bilateral series. Usually dominant at home in white-ball cricket, India have been forced to raise their game against the spunky South Africans.

With captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill both enduring prolonged lean runs — Gill has also been ruled out of the last two T20Is due to a toe injury sustained in Lucknow — India have a few chinks in the armour and some difficult selection calls looming ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Feb-March.


After bouncing back from a humiliating 2-0 Test series defeat, India clinched the ODI series on the back of blazing knocks from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Courtesy the abandonment in Lucknow, the hosts now hold an unassailable 2-1 lead in the T20I series.

While the assurance of not losing the series offers some comfort with the home World Cup less than two months away, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar would certainly prefer a morale-boosting series win. India are also slightly depleted, with Gill and Axar Patel (viral fever) both unavailable for the last two games. TOI has learnt that Gill has not suffered a fracture. “It’s a severe contusion of the midfoot joint where the deflected ball hit him,” a source said.

Friday’s match presents Surya — once ranked world No.1 in T20Is — a final opportunity to rediscover his touch before signing off from 2025. The 35-year-old has endured a difficult year, scoring just 213 runs in 20 matches at an average of 14.20 without a single fifty. Another failure could intensify scrutiny, raising the question: will India persist with their ‘A plan’ if Surya and Gill’s form does not improve?

Gill’s absence has handed Sanju Samson a rare opportunity to open again in T20Is. A strong showing would increase pressure on India’s Test and ODI captain to retain his spot in the T20I setup. Since being pushed down to No. 5, Samson has struggled, scoring 138 runs in eight matches at an average of 23. In contrast, all three of his T20I centuries and one fifty have come as an opener, where he formed a productive partnership with Abhishek Sharma — a combination that helped India win 14 of 17 matches.

In the bowling department, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been India’s standout performer, claiming six wickets in three matches at an average of 9.83. Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the third T20I due to personal reasons but has since rejoined the squad, will be keen to bounce back after conceding 45 runs in four overs in New Chandigarh.

South Africa, meanwhile, will aim to end the tour on a high by spoiling India’s party and forcing a 2-2 series draw. They will need more from young dasher Dewald Brevis (38 runs in three matches at 12.66), all-rounder Marco Jansen (14 runs in three matches at 7.00) and opener Reeza Hendricks (scores of 8 and 0), all of whom have struggled so far.