Visitors India (IND) outplayed the hosts South Africa (SA) in the four-match T20I series. They suffered a defeat in the second T20I but other than that, the Suryakumar-led side was phenomenal, especially in the fourth game in Johannesburg, in which, India registered a massive 135-run victory. The batters were given the freedom to express themselves and they used that well, smashing the 200-run barrier in all three games. 

The Proteas, on the other hand, struggled massively with the bat. The senior batters, particularly captain Aiden Markram had a poor outing throughout the series as former cricketer Herschelle Gibbs even asked the team management to drop him from the fourth T20I. The likes of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller weren’t impressive either. Tristan Stubbs was the standout performer for them but it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, here’s a list of the three best players of the series.

3. Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy’s comeback deserves massive appreciation. After failing to make a mark in the T20 World Cup 2021, he was dropped from the squad and wasn’t considered again before the series against Bangladesh. The mystery spinner was impressive in that series and now emerged as India’s best bowler in the series against South Africa.

He picked up 12 wickets in four games at an economy of 8.62, which is brilliant, given the nature of the surfaces. He got smacked on a few occasions but overall, the 33-year-old proved his worth in the middle and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series. He would now hope to keep up with the form and cement his spot in the squad as the competition is intense as far as the spin department is concerned.

2. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson warmed the bench in the entire T20 World Cup. Now, in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, he was asked to open in the series against Bangladesh and South Africa. He made total use of it, registering three centuries in the last five T20Is. Samson has been class apart and with that, the Kerala-born cricketer might have sealed his spot in the team.

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The keeper-batter has scored 216 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 194.59. He hit a century in the first T20I and then registered back-to-back ducks before smashing another ton in the final game. In that match, he stitched a partnership of 210 runs along with Tilak Varma, which is the highest for India in T20 internationals.

1. Tilak Varma

Youngster Tilak Varma has been phenomenal in the series. He became the second Indian cricketer to hit back-to-back centuries in T20I cricket and finished the South Africa series as leading run-scorer. Notably, the 22-year-old started the series with an innings of 33 runs off 18 deliveries and in the second game, he played a 20-run knock.

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In the third match, Tilak wreaked havoc, smashing an unbeaten 107 runs off 56 deliveries and in the fourth, he got better, as the Hyderbad-born hit 120* off just 47. He proved his value and might have even sealed his spot in the T20Is. Overall, he made 280 runs in four matches, at a strike rate of 198.58, which is brilliant, to say the least.