India vs South Africa 2019, T20I series: 3 players who performed brilliantly

The recently-concluded T20I series between India and South Africa was the perfect platform for the two teams to start their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2020. They both tried their best to test their resources; India announced a squad with an extended batting order while South Africa had a new T20I captain at the helm.

The first match was washed out without a ball being bowled. In the second, India outplayed the visitors to register a seven-wicket victory. However, South Africa did well to bounce back in the third and final T20I with clinical performances in all departments to defeat India by nine wickets, thereby leveling and concluding the series at 1-1.

A lot of players were under scrutiny during the series and a few of them made the most of the opportunities they got. Here are three such players who performed well in the series and outshone the rest:

#1 Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock was appointed the captain in the T20I format ahead of this tour, and all eyes were on him to see how he performed in his first assignment as skipper. Even though his team was defeated in the second T20I, he led South Africa from the front with his batting in the third and saved his team from losing the series.

De Kock was the highest run scorer of the series with 131 runs in two matches at an average of 131. His consistency with the bat even earned him the 'man of the series' award.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

After returning from the injury sustained during the World Cup, Shikhar Dhawan had a cold West Indies tour. And with KL Rahul in the squad, he needed to perform well to retain his opener's slot in the playing XI.

Dhawan grabbed the opportunity with both hands and started the series with a fine innings of 40 runs off 31 balls in the second T20I. That gave India a flying start, and he was only sent to the pavilion through a stunning catch by David Miller at long-on.

Dhawan continued his explosive batting in the third T20I too and scored 36 runs off 25 balls. Even though he could not convert his starts into big scores as De Kock did, Dhawan has definitely done enough to retain his place in the playing XI.

3. Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar

The absence of the experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah allowed the young fast bowlers like Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed to prove themselves in the series.

Chahar had already made an impact on the West Indies tour and everyone was curious to see how he carried that momentum against a team like South Africa. As it transpired, Chahar was brilliant with the ball in the second T20I; he prevented the Proteas batsmen from scoring freely and ended up with figures 4-0-24-2.

Although he went wicketless in the third T20I, Chahar continued to bowl economically - he gave away just 15 runs in three overs. His inspiring performance, which came at an economy of under 6 runs per over in the series, could prompt the selectors to give him more international exposure in the coming days.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IND vs SA schedule, IND vs SA head to head, news, results, points table, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.