[WATCH]- Varun Chakaravarthy Delivers Double Strike Against South Africa In 5th T20I

Team India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy delivered a double blow on successive balls to hamper South Africa’s chase in the fifth T20I on Friday, December 19, in Ahmedabad. The 34-year-old first pinned Proteas skipper Aiden Markram lbw before knocking over Donovan Ferreira for a first-ball duck.

The twin strikes came in the 13th over of the innings, Varun’s third. Markram had briefly put the spinner under pressure by stepping out and driving the second ball straight down the ground for a boundary. However, an attempted lap shot proved costly on the very next delivery, as he was adjudged lbw.

Markram opted for a review, but replays upheld the on-field decision. Ferreira, meanwhile, was undone by a delivery that drifted in sharply and beat his inside edge, crashing into the stumps as he misjudged the line. The visitors were cruising at 130/3 at the beginning of the 13th over but slipped to 136/5 by its end.

You can watch both dismissal video here:

A double-wicket over! 🙌

… and Varun Chakaravarthy is absolutely pumped! 👊

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/kw4LKLNSl3#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @chakaravarthy29 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Csr1yzv3wA

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 19, 2025

However, Varun Chakaravarthy missed out on a hat-trick as George Linde saw off the delivery with ease.

Varun Chakaravarthy stars with four wickets as India hand South Africa a 232-run chase

Chakaravarthy endured a costly outing, leaking 53 runs from his four overs, but made a decisive impact by claiming four crucial wickets. He snapped the dangerous 69-run opening partnership in the seventh over by dismissing Reeza Hendricks for 13, and wrapped up his spell by bowling George Linde for 16 in his final over to finish with figures of 4-0-53-4.

Earlier, after winning the toss, the visitors opted to field and sent India in to bat. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson provided a brisk start, racing to 63 without loss. Tilak Varma was the top-scorer with a fluent 73 and put on a 105-run stand with Hardik Pandya, who blazed his way to 63 off just 25 balls, smashing five boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

For South Africa, Corbin Bosch stood out with the ball, returning figures of 3-0-44-2. India eventually registered a 30-run victory to clinch the five-match T20I series 3-1.

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