Last Updated on 29 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey

After the abandoned match at Lucknow, the action moves to Ahmedabad for the final encounter of the T20I series. South Africa have the opportunity to finish their successful tour on a high, while India are aiming for another triumph in T20I cricket.

The third T20I was all India. The bowlers, left by Arshdeep Singh, dominated the Proteas lineup as only Aiden Markram displayed any meaningful resistance. However, India’s batting still doesn’t have that same confidence or swagger it did in previous months. Runs for Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav will be very welcome as the World Cup quickly approaches.

For South Africa, a lot depends on whether Quinton de Kock can produce the type of innings he did in the second T20I. If a platform is set, the Proteas’ exciting middle order can cause damage. Also, can the South African attack cause a few more headaches for the Indian lineup?

IND vs SA 5th T20 2025 Possible Playing XIs

Jasprit Bumrah was back from personal leave in Lucknow. However, Axar Patel is ruled out with illness. Also, Sanju Samson could play with Shubman Gill reportedly nursing a toe injury, according to ESPNcricinfo.

India: 1. Abhishek Sharma, 2. Shubman Gill/Sanju Samson, 3. Suryakumar Yadav (c), 4. Tilak Varma, 5. Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Shivam Dube, 8. Harshit Rana/Washington Sundar, 9. Arshdeep Singh, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Varun Chakravarthy

South Africa could bat Tristan Stubbs up the order as Reeza Hendricks has missed out twice.

South Africa: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Aiden Markram (c), 3. Reeza Hendricks/Tristan Stubbs, 4. Dewald Brevis, 5. David Miller, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 George Linde/Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Ottneil Baartman/Anrich Nortje

Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad Pitch Report and Weather

Clear and warm conditions are forecast in Ahmedabad for this match. Whoever wins the toss could have a tricky decision to make as teams batting first won seven of the nine matches in IPL 2025.

The average first innings score on this ground in this year’s IPL was a mammoth 215.67 at a run rate of 10.78. During the season, pace bowlers took 80 wickets here at an average of 32.79 and economy of 10.28. Spinners picked up 31 wickets at 29.29/9.56.

Expect more excellent batting conditions in this match.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for IND vs SA 5th T20 2025: Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Top wicket-keeper picks:

• Quinton de Kock has had an up and down series, but his 46-ball 90 in the second T20I shows what he is capable of. He has six 50+ scores in 13 T20I innings against India.

Key batter picks:

• Shubman Gill has struggled for rhythm in T20Is this year. But, if he’s fit and available for this game, he is certainly worth a pick in Dream11. Gill loves batting at Ahmedabad, scoring 1,157 runs at an average of 52.59 and strike rate of 162.04.
• Abhishek Sharma showed glimpses of his best in the third T20I. He is striking at 187.4 during the powerplay in all T20s this year (813 runs).
• Tilak Varma averages 70.50 with a strike rate of 161.45 in nine T20Is against South Africa. This includes a fifty and two hundreds.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Hardik Pandya knows this ground well. He has 261 runs in T20s at Ahmedabad (avg. 29, SR 126.09), along with eight wickets at a strike rate of 21.75.
• Marco Jansen has had the tour of a lifetime. Can he finish on a high? Abhishek Sharma has been out seven times in 98 balls against left-arm seam, but strikes at 200 against this bowling type. Key matchup.
• Aiden Markram played a lone hand in the third T20I (61). It was a welcome innings as he averages 23.06 as captain compared to 38.21 when not skipper in T20Is.

Key bowler picks:

• Varun Chakravarthy has been simply outstanding in this series, taking six wickets at an average of 9.83. He has amassed 282 Dream11 points in the process. Overall, he has a superb 18 wickets against the Proteas at an average of 10.94 and strike rate of 9.00.
• Arshdeep Singh produced a man of the match performance in the third T20I (2/17). His matchup against Quinton de Kock (5/66 off 56 balls in all T20s) remains key.
• Lungi Ngidi is the equal leading-wicket taker in this series (6), striking every 10.16 balls. He is also conceding just 7.86 per over.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Teams

• Jasprit Bumrah is expected to feature in this game. He has three wickets in two T20s at Ahmedabad at an economy of just 6.75.
• Suryakumar Yadav is having a horror year in T20Is, averaging just 14.20. He has the class, experience and record against South Africa (401 runs, avg. 33.41, SR 158.49) to bounce back. Will this be his day?
• Dewald Brevis has looked in promising touch but is yet to make the big score in this series. He is South Africa’s leading run-scorer in T20Is this year (433) and is striking at 181.9 against spin in all T20s in 2025 (avg. 73.7).
• Sanju Samson is worth a pick in Dream11 if selected in the XI as he is looking to prove a point. Samson averages 31.00 with a strike rate of 147.62 in T20s at Ahmedabad.
• David Miller has the most runs in IND-SA T20Is (545). He also has plenty of T20 experience at Ahmedabad: inns 12, 254 runs, avg. 42.33, SR 151.19.

Other Stats and Important Matchups

• Head-to-head: 34 matches, India 19, South Africa 13, N/R 2.
• No player has scored more T20 runs on this ground than Shubman Gill’s 1,157.
• Suryakumar Yadav also has a good record in T20s at Ahmedabad with 176 runs in four matches at an average of 44 and strike rate of 169.23.
• Arshdeep Singh in T20s at Ahmedabad: 5 inns, 8 wickets, avg. 22.62, SR 14.38.
• Varun Chakravarthy vs Quinton de Kock in all T20s: 38 balls, 48 runs, two wickets.
• Marco Jansen vs Hardik Pandya in all T20s: 31 balls, 52 runs, one wicket.

IND vs SA 5th T20 2025 Dream11 Prediction Today

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams. 

Option 1:

Option 2:

IND vs SA 5th T20 2025 Match Prediction: Who will win?

South Africa have the talent to challenge India. That being said, I’m backing India win on a batting-friendly ground.