The Proteas limited India to a final total of 134-9 in Sunday’s third and final T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada recovered from a shaky start, which included three successive wides, to complete telling figures of 3/39.
His haul included the key dismissals of opposition captain Virat Kohli, who had led the hosts to triumph with a commanding half-century in the second T20I in Mohali earlier this week. Rabada also ensured a burgeoning cameo from the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya was stifled.
Spinner Bjorn Fortuin, meanwhile, accounted for the important removals of middle-order batsmen Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyar. The former was undone by a clever change of angle and the latter a sniping tweak in pace. Fortuin, intriguingly, had earlier been deployed with the new ball alongside Rabada. He performs the role for the Lions in domestic cricket.
Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with an entertaining 36 from 25 deliveries, which included consecutive sixes off wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi – over midwicket and then long-off. Shamsi effectively had the final say, though, as Dhawan holed out on the back of another attempted big hit in the same over.
The Proteas made one change to the XI, replacing right-arm fast bowler Anrich Nortje with left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks.
The hosts sport a 1-0 series lead. Last week’s first T20I was washed out without a delivery bowled.
Photo: Gallo Images
