The fourth T20I arrived crackling with anticipation — a pivotal contest where India stood on the brink of sealing the series while South Africa fought for survival. Holding a 2–1 lead, India needed just one more win to secure their eighth consecutive T20I series victory.

Yet this was never just a contest between two teams. It was a three-way battle, with the demanding pitch at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium emerging as a formidable third opponent. The slow surface promised a test of tactical discipline rather than brute-force hitting, setting the stage for a match where India’s bowling intelligence would outweigh its own batting frailties.
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The Ekana Effect: Where Strategy Trumped Strokeplay

Ekana Stadium is a venue that forces teams to unlearn modern T20 instincts. Power-hitting takes a back seat to placement, patience, and strike rotation.

The surface — a slow, low-bouncing black soil pitch — offers grip and turn for spinners, turning strokeplay into a calculated risk. Add to that the vast dimensions, with straight boundaries touching 70 meters, and mishits that fly for sixes elsewhere often die safely in the deep here.

The numbers underline the challenge:

• Average first-innings T20I score: 151

• Average second-innings score: 126

That 25-run drop-off is no coincidence. Chasing becomes significantly harder as the pitch deteriorates under lights. As already evident earlier in the series — particularly during the tactical battle in Dharamshala — conditions have consistently dictated outcomes more than reputation or raw firepower.
For context on how surface and weather shaped the turning point of the series, see India vs South Africa 3rd T20I: Dharamshala pitch and weather analysis.

A Fortress Built by Bowlers: India’s Masterclass in Control

India sealed the series not with a batting onslaught, but through a precision-driven bowling performance perfectly suited to Ekana’s demands.

Spin Stranglehold in the Middle Overs

The decisive phase belonged to India’s spinners:

• Varun Chakravarthy, the series’ leading wicket-taker, maintained suffocating control with an economy rate of 5.36.

• Kuldeep Yadav, enjoying a stellar 2025, entered the match with 21 wickets at an average of 10.23, and once again proved unplayable on a responsive surface.

Together, they squeezed the run flow and struck at key moments, dismantling South Africa’s middle order and eliminating any chance of recovery.

Pacers Set the Tone Early

Before spin took over, the pacers laid the foundation. Arshdeep Singh, fresh off his Player of the Match performance in the third T20I, delivered crucial early breakthroughs. His movement with the new ball denied South Africa any Powerplay momentum and forced them into a defensive shell.

Even adversity worked in India’s favor. The absence of Axar Patel due to illness initially appeared a setback, but it instead paved the way for Kuldeep’s inclusion — a change that became a decisive tactical advantage on this surface.

This bowling dominance stood in stark contrast to the unresolved struggles at the top of India’s batting order.

The Elephant in the Room: Top-Order Fragility, Middle-Order Rescue

Despite sealing the series, India’s top-order batting crisis remained impossible to ignore.

• Suryakumar Yadav came into the match enduring a 21-innings drought without a half-century.

• Shubman Gill was mired in a 15-innings run without a 50+ score.

Ekana’s slow pitch amplified their issues. For Suryakumar, the lack of pace removed the ball speed required for his trademark 360-degree shot-making, turning innovation into risk. For Gill, the surface further disrupted his timing, preventing him from playing through the line with authority.

The Middle Order Holds Firm

India’s rescue came from familiar sources:

• Tilak Varma, now the backbone of the middle order, continued his exceptional 2025 with calm assurance. His tally of 494 runs at an average of 44.9 underlines his growing indispensability.

• Hardik Pandya once again demonstrated his all-round value. With the ball, his cutters and off-pace deliveries became lethal as the pitch exaggerated every variation.

• Abhishek Sharma played his role with intent, providing aggressive starts that consistently created breathing room for the innings.

This collective effort masked the top-order failures — a luxury India could afford in this match, but not indefinitely.

South Africa’s Series Slips Away: A Familiar Pattern

For South Africa, the must-win encounter unraveled into a tactical and mental collapse.

Once again, the batting leaned heavily on Aiden Markram, whose fighting 61 in the previous match highlighted both his quality and the lack of support around him. The rest of the lineup struggled to adapt to India’s spin-heavy approach, repeatedly misjudging pace, turn, and shot selection.

This failure was symptomatic of a broader issue. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup final, South Africa have lost 18 of their 28 T20Is, a statistic that points to persistent adaptability problems rather than isolated off-days.

Early instability has been a recurring theme. Reeza Hendricks’ modest returns in 2025 have prevented South Africa from establishing solid Powerplay foundations, exposing an already fragile middle order to immediate pressure.

Series Sealed, but Critical Questions Remain

India wrapped up a 3–1 series victory, driven by bowling excellence and tactical clarity rather than batting dominance. The win reinforced the team’s depth and adaptability — proof that India can still control matches even when their biggest batting names are out of form.

The final, dead-rubber match in Ahmedabad now offers a valuable opportunity. With the series decided, team management faces a pressing question:

Is it time to rest Shubman Gill and give Sanju Samson a chance?

The argument is grounded in evidence. Against this very South African side in 2024, Samson delivered a series-clinching T20I century, showcasing his ability to thrive under pressure and produce match-defining innings.

India’s bowling has carried them through this series. But looking ahead to the 2026 T20 World Cup, success will demand balance. Resolving the high-profile top-order crisis is no longer optional — it is the final piece India must address if they are to convert tactical brilliance into sustained global dominance.