South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, expressed pride in his team’s performance despite their 11-run loss to India in the third T20I of the four-match series. Markram acknowledged the contributions of the lower order and emphasized the importance of executing their plans.
“We’re proud of the effort to get that close,” Markram said. “It was good to see the contributions from the lower order. We just need to execute what we discussed.”
India’s victory was largely due to Tilak Varma’s unbeaten century and Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket haul. Varma’s 107 runs off 56 balls included eight fours and seven sixes, while Singh’s 3/37 in four overs proved crucial in restricting South Africa’s chase.
Markram highlighted the challenges of chasing a high total at the SuperSport Park. “This is a ground where you can chase 220,” he said. “It’s almost an over-by-over thing. If you win those overs, you have a great chance.”
South Africa’s bowlers, led by Andile Simelane and Keshav Maharaj, had earlier restricted India to 219/6. Abhishek Sharma’s 50 off 25 balls and Varma’s century were the standout performances for India.
In the chase, Heinrich Klaasen (41 off 22) and Marco Jansen (54 off 17) kept South Africa in contention. However, Arshdeep’s wickets in the death overs proved decisive.
Markram expressed confidence in his team’s ability to improve for the fourth and final match of the series. “We will see areas to improve for the next game,” he said.
