TOP ORDER MISFIRES

new delhi: Despite Indian batsmen's intention to give the visitors a strong start, pace bowler Junior Dala – along with JP Duminy – removed the top order in the powerplay to give South Africa a much-needed strong Despite Indian batsmen's intention to give the visitors a strong start, pace bowler Junior Dala – along with JP Duminy – removed the top order in the powerplay to give South Africa a much-needed strong start in the third and last T20 international in Centurion on Wednesday.

Dala turned Rohit Sharma into his bunny as he got the opener's wicket for the third consecutive time in the T20 series. At the beginning of the match, Shikhar Dhawan took a cautious approach in the first over as Chris Morris gave a morale booster to the hosts with a maiden over.

Dala, playing his debut series, again got the betterof Rohit Sharma as he caught him plumb in front of wicket to give Proteas breakthrough in the second over of the innings.

In came Suresh Raina, who after facing a dot ball, took a quick double to open Indian team's run account. Couple of deliveries later he stuck India's first boundary through straight-off as the over ended with eight runs from it.

Dhawan, not giving Morris any further joy, took the game to the bowler as he shot him for two fours and one six in the first three deliveries of his second over. Dhawan scored the first four and six through square leg, followed by a four through cover. Dhawan added another boundary to his paltry before the over ended with 20 runs from it - - all scored by the opener. Runs really started flowing in abundance from then on as new bowler Dane Paterson, who despite managing three dot balls, gave away 12 runs -- all coming in boundaries through Raina.

Taking things in own hand, stand-in Skipper JP Duminy brought himself on to break the dangerous looking partnership in progress between the southpaw duo.

And it worked almost immediately as he got Dhawan caught on short mid-on by Farhaan Behardien after conceding a four. Dhawan seemed disappointed while walking back to the pavilion as he got out of a fulltoss as the 44-run second wicket partnership ended.

Captain Virat Kohli came to bat at his familiar no 4 position next and looked to steady the ship with just a single from Duminy's remaining deliveries of the over. Kohli, however, didn't last long as he was outfoxed by out-swinging delivery of Dala and nipped an edge to Klassen behind the wicket. The Afrikaan gave away no run to finish it as maiden-wicket over to newcomer Manish Pandey.

Duminy continued bowling from the pavilion end and gave away eight runs as India crossed 50 in the 7th over.

Coming in from river end, left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi produced an economic over as he gave away just four runs from his first over (8th of the innings).

India's next boundary came in the ninth over (four overs later), when Pandey nicked Patterson through third man.

Getting confidence from the four, Pandey started pacing the innings as he shot Shamsi for a four of the first delivery of 10th over. Two deliveries later Pandey smashed two consecutive sixes over mid-on region to take India 85 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings.