Dec 19 (Reuters) - Hardik Pandya hit five sixes en route to a 16-ball half-century as his quick-fire 105-run partnership with Tilak Varma set up India's 30-run win over South Africa on Friday, clinching the five-match Twenty20 series 3-1 in Ahmedabad.
Chasing 232, South Africa got off to a fast start thanks to Quinton de Kock's 65 off 35 balls, but fell short after the opener was caught and bowled by Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy took wickets with back-to-back balls.
Put in to bat, India shrugged off the absence of Shubman Gill, who had injured his right foot in training, as Sanju Samson (37) and Abhishek Sharma (34) added 63 runs for the first wicket in 5.4 overs, before Corbin Bosch had Sharma caught behind.
Samson tried to whip Donovan Ferreira down the ground but the ball hit umpire Rohan Pandit on the shin and he required medical assistance before he was able to continue.
George Linde dismissed Samson soon after, as the hosts hit only one boundary between the 10th and 12th overs. But Pandya, in at five, smashed Bosch for six on his first ball, hitting a cameraman at long off who required medical treatment.
A relentless Pandya (63 off 25 balls) allowed only one dot ball before scoring the second fastest half-century by an Indian in men's T20 internationals, after Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball fifty against England in 2007.
Pandya was caught at deep midwicket in the last over before Varma, who added a steady 73 runs from 42 balls, got out trying to steal a single, as India posted 231-5.
CHAKRAVARTHY TAKES FOUR WICKETS
De Kock hit three boundaries in the first over and steered South Africa to 67-0 in the first six overs, staying on top of the required run rate, before falling to Bumrah.
Pandya's slower bouncer got Dewald Brevis (31) caught soon after. Chakravarthy (4-53) then trapped captain Aiden Markram leg before wicket before bowling Donovan Ferreira with the next ball, leaving South Africa shaken at 135-5 in the 13th over.
Marco Jansen (14) made a last stand, hitting Chakravarthy for back-to-back sixes before edging Bumrah's off-cutter to the keeper, as South Africa's innings ended at 201-8.
India will host New Zealand for three one-day internationals and five 20-over matches before co-hosting the T20 World Cup from February. South Africa will play a T20 series against West Indies from next month.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
