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

Bad weather conditions in Lucknow meant that the fourth T20I was called off without a ball being bowled. Therefore, the series is still alive as we head to Ahmedabad for the fifth and final game of the series. 

For the fifth T20I between India and South Africa, here we present our 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, which also means that we should be in for a lot of runs on a pitch that is slightly flatter than the ones we’ve seen in this series. India may need to make a couple of changes to their squad, with Axar Patel having been ruled out before the fourth game due to illness and Jasprit Bumrah doubtful after withdrawing from the third and fourth games for personal reasons.

Ahmedabad will be a happy sight for the Indian batters, who usually fare well at the ground. Opener and vice-captain Shubman Gill, who has a great record at the venue, is set to miss the final game of the series after suffering a toe injury, so the management may give a game to Sanju Samson, who has been on the wings for a while but has proved inconsistent whenever given a long rope, though with the World Cup just a couple of months away, this is arguably his best chance to put his name in the running once again.

Another player who, like Gill, is under the scanner due to his poor run of form is captain Suryakumar Yadav. With only a handful of games left before the Men in Blue kick off their World Cup campaign against the US on February 7, all eyes will be on Team India’s two captains to see whether they can regain some form.

On a flatter pitch, we might see India field an extra spinner. With Axar Patel ruled out, India have brought in Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who will be an option alongside the frontline spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom have been stellar throughout the series.

Should India give Samson a game and hand him the gloves, we could also see someone like Washington Sundar get a game in place of Jitesh Sharma, which would help the team keep their batting strength intact while bolstering their bowling options, especially given Sundar’s growing importance in the management’s white-ball plans.

South Africa, on the other hand, have had a mixed series with the bat so far and will also be looking forward to the flat Ahmedabad strip. The Proteas batters come into this game on the back of a poor outing in seamer-friendly conditions in Dharamsala. While their top order looks settled, they may have to choose between Tristan Stubbs and the experienced David Miller lower down the order.

With the ball, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje have shown serious pace in the series, but the South African pace attack will be wary of the flatness of the Ahmedabad strip. All-rounder Donovan Ferreira has shown that he’s more than handy with the ball; his off-break could prove to be a deciding factor here alongside the experienced left arm of Keshav Maharaj.

India once again start as our favourites in the series finale. On a ground that should bring about some runs, given their dynamic and explosive batting order, the Men in Blue hold the edge to win the series.

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