South Africa silenced their critics with a resounding 51-run victory against India in the second match of the series, thus leveling it at 1-1. Compared to India’s comprehensive 101-run victory in the previous match, this match was an outright turnabout, wherein it seemed that both the Indian batting and bowling lineup were having an off-day. To make it clearer, just look at coach Gautam Gambhir’s reaction.
Gambhir loses his cool after Arshdeep’s 13-ball over
The moment which encapsulated India’s evening came in Arshdeep Singh’s messy 13-ball over. Gambhir, who is known as a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, could not control himself. It was captured on cameras as he shouted with frustration, and it went viral.
After today's loss, Gautam Gambhir was looking angry during the handshake with Indian players like Jitesh Sharma and Arshdeep Singh.
— Tejash (@Tejashyyyyy) December 11, 2025
Look at the attitude of this man; rather than boosting the confidence of players, he was looking at them angrily 💔 pic.twitter.com/0nJTTZ8qfQ
His reaction was no surprise, as India’s bowling looked out of sync from the very beginning. South Africa capitalized on it brilliantly, scoring 213/3, thanks to an outstanding 90 from Quinton de Kock, who was also aptly awarded the Man of the Match award.
Handshake, But Not the Warm Kind
But what made even more headlines was the handshake after the match. The look on Gambhir’s face spoke volumes, sethough they were tight, with forced nods, and he looked clearly disappointed. A video clip even emerged with Gambhir visibly miffed while shaking hands with Arshdeep, perhaps indicating that Arshdeep had just had a stern talking-to.
It wasn’t a composed, poker-face handshake deal we’re normally used to seeing. It’s frustration, pure and simple.
India’s Batting Fails to Fire
Chasing 214, India were bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs. Tilak Varma showed some glimmers of hope as he hit an excellent 62 off 34 deliveries. Hardik Pandya added 20, and there were 27 more from Jitesh Sharma, but no one could get a large enough partnership together that would have been a challenge for South Africa’s total.
Bowling Breakdown: Pace unit fetching zero wickets
The bowing also failed on India. None of India’s premier seam bowlers, Bumrah, Arshdeep, Hardik, and Shivam Dube, were able to get a single wicket. Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets, and Axar Patel took one, but the harm had already been caused.
Series now wide open
A tie in the series puts all pressure on India. Justification for Gambhir’s aggression can be gathered from the fact that India needs to have some mental regrouping, particularly among its bowlers. South Africa will enter the final match with all momentum.
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