IND vs SA 3rd T20I:Team India Report Card - Pant, Iyer struggle, Dhawan, Chahar shine in defeat

Skipper de Kock struck his second consecutive half-century of the series as South Africa registered their first big victory with a nine-wicket thrashing of favourites India.

A rebuilding South Africa registered their first big victory with a nine-wicket thrashing of favourites India, squaring the T20 series 1-1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, producing an all-round show after Virat Kohli opted to bat on a pitch that promised plenty of runs but his batsmen failed. Quinton de Kock (79*) and Reeza Hendricks (28) built on the platform set by paceman Beuran Hendricks (4-0-14-2) and left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-23-1), who left the visitors chasing a modest 135. South Africa eased to 140/1 from 16.5 overs.

India's Hardik Pandya celebrates with teammates.(AP)

Skipper de Kock struck his second consecutive half-century of the series, and added 76 runs for the opening wicket. It took yet another athletic catch by Kohli at mid-on to dismiss Reeza and break the partnership in the 11th over. But Temba Bavuma (27*) erased India’s rapidly fading hopes with a quick start, which culminated in an unbeaten 58-run stand with de Kock and a memorable win.

Here is a look at how Indian cricket team performed:

Shikhar Dhawan - 7/10, Verdict: Good

Shikhar Dhawan was the only Indian batsman who managed to get a start, scoring four fours and two sixes. But one shot too many, just like last time, and he gave away his wicket for 36. He is starting to return to form, but needs to stick it out longer.

Rohit Sharma - 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Rohit Sharma struggled in the T20I series, and was dismissed by a beauty from Beuran Hendricks for just 9 runs. He did not seem too confident in the middle, and was not timing the ball well in the short time he was in the middle. Soon, he will have a do-or-die opportunity to cement his place as an opener in the Test, and he will need to do better.

Virat Kohli(c) - 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Skipper Virat Kohli had one of those days where nothing seemed to work for him. He was dismissed for 9, the fielding was a little sloppy, and the bowling changes did not reaped rewards.

Rishabh Pant(w) - 3/10, Verdict: Poor

There was a bit of confusion in the middle who will come out to bat at no. 4 - Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant. In the end, Pant walked out and played a slower innings than usual. He scored 19 off 20, and had plenty of time to settle down. But just when it looked this could be one of those career-changing innings, he mistimed a slog and gave away his wicket. He seemed to be running out of chances, and maybe, this was the last one.

Shreyas Iyer - 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Shreyas Iyer was looking good to solve India’s no. 4 woes, with consistent performance in the previous few matches. But he came out to bat at no. 5 on Sunday after a fair bit of confusion, and had an off day. Still, the team management would likely stick with Iyer for sometime.

Hardik Pandya - 3/10, Verdict: Poor

Hardik Pandya came out to bat when India were in a fair bit of trouble. He needed to slog a few big hits, but struggled to do so despite having plenty of time in the middle. He scored just 14 runs in 18 balls, and could not connect to ball as well as he would have liked. Later, he was used for just two overs with the ball, and even though, he managed to get the only wicket India had, it came at a cost of 23 runs in 12 balls.

Krunal Pandya - 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Krunal Pandya’s day was even worse than his brother. He scored just 4 runs before throwing away his wicket and then was hit for 40 runs in 3.5 overs without a wicket. He had a better series against West Indies, but seems to struggle against stronger opponents. Maybe, it’s time to bring Yuzvendra Chahal back.

Ravindra Jadeja - 5/10, Verdict: Average

Ravindra Jadeja provided a glimmer of hope for India in the final few overs, as he hit 19 runs in 17 balls. But a mishit cost him his wicket. Surprsingly, he was only given 2 overs, in which he gave just 8 runs. He seemed a better option than Krunal who was clearly struggling and maybe Kohli missed a trick.

Washington Sundar - 5/10, Verdict: Average

Washington Sundar hit a boundary off his first ball and then was unceremoniously run out. Who knows maybe he could have slogged a few big hits. He manages to maintain a good economy with the new ball, but has not been able to pick up wickets.

Deepak Chahar - 7/10, Verdict: Good

Deepak Chahar was the most economical of Indian bowlers, giving away just 15 runs in 3 overs. Perhaps, Virat Kohli should have used him more in the middle overs than Sundar and Krunal, rather than thinking about saving him for the end. After all, Proteas finished the chase with 3.1 overs left.

Navdeep Saini - 2/10, Verdict: Poor

One of those rough days for the youngster, as he was hit for 25 runs in his two overs. He will only learn from the experience.