India put up one of their strongest batting performances of the year as they put up 231/5 against South Africa in the 5th T20I in Ahmedabad. Visitors opted to field first owing to the dew factor. The decision backfired within moments. The new ball swung a lot in the first innings, but India’s top order made good use of it. Then Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave India a flying start with an opening stand of 63 runs, setting the tone for a record-filled night. Hardik, Tilak and Dube Finish Strong Even though South African bowlers were decent with their lines, India’s middle order turned this into a hitting show. Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube-all attacking from ball one. Four out of India's top six batters hit a boundary off their first ball - Pandya six, Dube six, Abhishek four, Tilak four - This shows how confident this unit was. While Varma played steadily but an attacking knock, Pandya hit shots that usually don't go for six and flew over the ropes. Dube also finished with a six and a four in the final over to push India past 230. This is now India's highest total that they have never failed to defend in T20Is. During India's innings, the Indian batters smashed multiple records. Below are some of them. Also Read | Why Shubman Gill is Not Playing Today in the 5th T20I vs South Africa Records Broken by Indian Batters in the 5th T20I vs South Africa Continuing his dream year, Abhishek Sharma crossed 1600 T20 runs in 2025 and became the second-highest Indian run-scorer in a single T20 calendar year, only behind Virat Kohli's 1614 in 2016. Most T20 runs in a calendar year by Indians 1614 - Virat Kohli (2016) 1602 - Abhishek Sharma (2025*) 1503 - Suryakumar Yadav (2022) 1338 - Suryakumar Yadav (2023) 1297 - Yashasvi Jaiswal (2023) Fastest to 1000 T20I runs for India (by balls faced) Sanju Samson became the fourth fastest Indian batter to complete 1,000 runs in T20I. (in terms of balls) 528 - Abhishek Sharma 573 - Suryakumar Yadav 679 - Hardik Pandya 679 - Sanju Samson 686 - KL Rahul 690 – Tilak Varma Fastest T20I fifties for India Hardik Pandya Breaks Record for Second-Fastest Fifty. The most celebrated Indian all-rounder slammed a 16-ball fifty, the second-fastest for India in T20Is. 12 balls - Yuvraj Singh vs ENG, 2007 16 balls - Hardik Pandya vs SA, 2025 17 balls - Abhishek Sharma vs ENG, 2025 18 balls - KL Rahul vs SCO, 2021 18 balls - Suryakumar Yadav vs SA, 2022 South Africa face a huge challenge South Africa have to chase 231, a target they have surpassed only once in T20I history - 259 vs West Indies, 2023. Dew may assist them, but India's bowling attack, particularly Arshdeep Singh who troubled the visitors by swinging the ball both ways, gives them a clear edge. The dugout knows that they have put enough runs on the board, and it is down to the bowlers to seal the game now.