Rilee Rossouw scored a brilliant, unbeaten 100 from just 48 balls to lead South Africa to a daunting total of 227-3 after being asked to bat first in the third and final T20 International against India at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Tuesday.
Quinton de Kock added 68 from just 43 balls as the tourists finally had something to smile about after two resounding defeats in the first two games and David Miller belted three successive sixes in the final over to finish with an astonishing cameo innings of 19 from five balls.
De Kock finally returned to his fluent best after his workmanlike 69* in the second game on Sunday whipping a couple of legside sixes off his pads in the second over against Mohammad Siraj to kick-start his innings which also included an audacious reverse-swept six against offspinner R Ashwin.
Rossouw was in even more devastating form and took full advantage of the short boundaries in one of India’s smallest stadiums charging to his 50 from a mere 27 balls before really off-loading the frustration of two ducks in the opening two games with a flurry of boundaries.
Rossouw was given a life on 24 when Siraj parried a straightforward catch at deep square leg for six off Ashwin, and the batter made the most of his good fortune with some powerful ball-striking that earned him seven fours and a bruising eight sixes.
South African ‘keeper De Kock departed after a stand of 90 with Rossouw when he was run out attempting an optimistic second run to Shreyas Iyer but his second successive half century undoubtedly restored his confidence after 12 innings without a 50.
There was less good news for captain Temba Bavuma (3), however, who toe-ended his eight ball to midwicket at the start of the fifth over to give him a series return of three runs from 19 balls.
Tristan Stubbs, promoted ahead of Sunday’s centurion Miller, smashed an early six and four but was unable to maintain the momentum against some fine yorker bowling from Siraj and Harshal Patel before miscuing an attempted ramp to short third against Deepak Chahar in the final over to depart for 23 from 18 balls.
South Africa made one change from the starting XI which lost the first two games by eight wickets and 16-runs with allrounder Dwaine Pretorius replacing fast bowler Anrich Nortje.
INDIA: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
SOUTH AFRICA: Rohit Sharma (capt), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Suryakumar Yadav,, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.