Indore: Riley Rousseau's unbeaten 100 and a half-century from Quinton de Kock's 68, saw South Africa thrash India by 49 runs in the third T20I at Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.
Despite this defeat, India won the series 2–1.
South Africa set a massive target of 228 runs in 20 overs for India, but India could only manage 178 all out.
Rousseau scored his first century in T20Is in 48 balls with seven fours and eight sixes. He was supported by Quinton de Kock, who scored fifty-odd runs in 43 balls with six fours and four sixes.
Dinesh Karthik scored 46 off 21 balls, Deepak Chahar 31 (17) and Rishabh Pant 27 (14) for India, but none of the batsmen could play a big innings.
India's run-chase ended in 18.3 overs as wickets kept falling at regular intervals despite the fast run rate.
India won the toss and invited South Africa to bat first and captain Temba Bavuma started off disastrously again as he could score only three.
Rousseau, who walked into the field after Bavuma's wicket, started off in a hurry with De Kock and stitched a 90 runs in 48 balls for the second wicket.
De Kock returned to the pavilion after he was run-out, but Rousseau continued with his aggression before completing his century, sharing an 87-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs (23).
South Africa added 73 runs in the last five overs thanks to an explosive partnership from Rousseau and Stubbs. Stubbs was dismissed in the 19th over in an attempt to play a big shot, but David Miller, who came to the crease after him, smashed three sixes in five balls to take South Africa to 227/3 in 20 overs.
For India, Umesh Yadav claimed one wicket for 34 runs in three overs, while Deepak Chahar gave 48 runs in four overs for one wicket.
Chasing a massive target of 228, India garnered quick runs, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
Captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the first over, while Shreyas Iyer was leg before off Wayne Parnell for a run.
Pant, who came out to open, played some spectacular shots but could only manage 27 runs in 14 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Karthik, sent at the fourth position in the batting order, scored quickly.
Suryakumar Yadav was out for 9 as India were down 78/4, and with his return to the dugout, India's hopes of winning the match dried up.
Chahar, Harshal Patel (17) and Umesh Yadav (20 not out) came out to enjoy and entertain the spectators by playing some exquisite shots. They stitched 48 runs in 26 balls for 9th wicket, but it was not enough to cross over the line.
With the fall of Mohammad Siraj's wicket in the 19th over of the innings, India were all out for 178 and the Proteas won the match by 49 runs, and India series.
Dwayne Pretorius took three wickets for 26 runs in 3.3 overs for South Africa. Wayne Parnell, Lungi Engidi and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets each while Kagiso Rabada took one wicket for just 24 runs in four overs. (UNI)
