South Africa tour of India 2025 | 5th T20I | Preview and Predictions

Bad weather conditions in Lucknow meant that the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was called off without even a ball being bowled and it means the series is still alive as we head to Ahmedabad for the fifth and final game of the series and there is everything to play for, for both sides. 

For the fifth T20I between India and South Africa, here is our match preview and predictions.

South Africa tour of India 2025 | 5th T20I | 19:00 IST, December 19, 2025

The series moves to Motera for the final game and it also means that we should be in for a lot of runs on a slightly flatter pitch than the ones we have seen in this series. India have two changes in their squad with Axar Patel being ruled out before the fourth game due to illness and Jasprit Bumrah is also under doubt with the pacer having withdrawn for the third and fourth game for personal reasons. 

Moving to Ahmedabad will be a happy sight for the Indian batters, who have generally fared well at the ground. Indian opener and vice-captain Shubman Gill, who has a great record at Ahmedabad is reported to miss the final game of the series after suffering a toe injury as per reports, which means, India might give a game to the hot and cold Sanju Samson. Samson has been wings for a while and been inconsistent whenever given a long rope but with the World Cup just a couple of months away, this might be exactly what Samson needs to put his name in the running once again. Another player, like Gill, who is under the scanner for his poor run of form is India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav. India have a lot of explosive power in their batting lineup and will expect the duo of Gill and Yadav to step up, with only a handful of games left before the World Cup. 

On a flatter pitch, we might see India field an extra spinner, and with Axar Patel ruled out, India have brought in Bengal’s allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who will be an option along with the frontline spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, both of who have been stellar throughout the series. The pitch has something for the slower bowlers which also means the likes of Shivam Dube could come in handy for the hosts. Should India give Samson a game and have him don the gloves, we could also see someone like a Washington Sundar get a game in place of Jitesh Sharma to bolster both the batting and bowling attack, especially given Sundar’s growing importance in the team management’s white-ball plans.

South Africa’s batters, who have had a mixed series so far will also be looking forward to the Ahmedabad strip. The Proteas batters come into this game off the back of a poor outing in seamer-friendly conditions in Dharamsala.The top order looks settled for South Africa while they will have to choose between Tristan Stubbs and the experienced David Miller towards the lower order, as to who could be a better finisher for the visitors. Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje have shown serious pace in the series but the Proteas’ pace attack will be tested on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad. Donovan Ferreira, who showed that he was more than handy with the ball, could be a deciding factor with Keshav Maharaj also expected to be key for the visitors.

India will start as the favourites in the series finale on a ground that should bring about some runs with India’s dynamic and explosive batting order giving them the edge to close the series by wrapping it up at the very end. 

Fantasy XI: Abhishek Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Marco Jansen, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy (vc), Lungi Ngidi

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Winners Prediction: India