Chakravarthy's five-for overshadowed as Stubbs seals South Africa's comeback

South Africa clawed their way back into the four-match T20I series against India with a hard-fought three-wicket win on 10 November at St George's Park, Gqeberha.

After a strong performance in the first T20I at Durban, India fought hard to maintain their momentum but ultimately fell short.

Despite Varun Chakravarthy's remarkable five-wicket haul, Tristan Stubbs' late-game heroics allowed the Proteas to level the series at 1-1, sending India's hopes of extending their 12-match T20I winning streak up in smoke.

Pandya's rescue act lifts India to modest total

Asked to bat first, India struggled in the tricky conditions and posted a total of 124 for six after a shaky start.

Sanju Samson, who came in on the back of consecutive T20I centuries, fell for a first-ball duck as Marco Jansen shattered his stumps.

Abhishek Sharma's dip in form continued as Gerald Coetzee claimed his wicket, and Suryakumar Yadav departed soon after, giving Andile Simelane his maiden international wicket.

India found themselves reeling at 15 for three within the first four overs. Tilak Varma and Axar Patel then combined to steady the innings, contributing a crucial 30-run stand.

Just as Varma began to accelerate with a steady 20 off 20 balls, he was caught out by a stunning overhead grab from David Miller.

Axar's solid knock ended at 37, following a freak run-out where the ball ricocheted off Nqaba Peter's hands onto the stumps, sending him back from the non-striker's end.

Hardik Pandya, patient at the beginning of his innings, later launched an assault during the death overs.

He took on Jansen, smashing two boundaries and a massive six over cover in the 18th over.

Pandya closed out India's innings with a boundary that took them just past the 120-run mark.

Keshav Maharaj stood out for South Africa, bowling economically with figures of 4-0-24-0, as the remaining bowlers each picked up a wicket to restrict India's total.

Chakravarthy's five-for rattles South Africa, but Stubbs holds firm

South Africa's chase began swiftly, with their required run-rate dropping below a run-a-ball by the end of the second over.

SA20's leading scorer, Ryan Rickelton, got off to a promising start, hitting 13 from 11 balls, but fell soon after to Arshdeep Singh.

Chakravarthy then quickly put India back in control, removing Reeza Hendricks, who scored 24, and Aiden Markram in quick succession.

At 34 for two in the powerplay, the Proteas' chase began to falter. An unorthodox decision saw Jansen promoted up the order ahead of big-hitters David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, though the gamble did not pay off, as Chakravarthy dismissed him soon after.

With the required rate manageable at around six, the task fell to Klaasen and Stubbs to guide the team home.

While India's bowlers applied relentless pressure, Stubbs' calculated shots in the closing overs gave South Africa the edge, securing a narrow three-wicket victory.

This win sets up an exciting third T20I, where India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will aim to reclaim their dominance in the series.