Having rested the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul & Arshdeep Singh, Rohit Sharma opted to bowl after winning the toss.
While Quinton de Kock came out swinging, Temba Bavuma's poor run continued as he perished for 3.
But Rilee Rossouw finally found form and how! He and de Kock smashed Indian bowlers at will. With the duo going great guns, the ball was flying all over the park.
Just when India were struggling to stem the flow of runs, de Kock gave them an opening by running himself out for 68.
But Rossouw was well set, and with luck on his side, he notched up his maiden T20I ton off just 48 deliveries. And while Tristan Stubbs fell in the final over, David Miller's 5-ball 19 propelled South Africa to 227.
In reply, India got off to a horror start, losing captain Rohit Sharma & Shreyas Iyer inside first 2 overs.
While Rishabh Pant got going with a flurry of boundaries against Lungi Ngidi, the bowler had the final laugh when he had him caught for 27.
Dinesh Karthik though was looking in sublime touch. He pounded 46 runs in double quick time before having a brainfade which saw him get bowled.
The man-in-form, Suryakumar Yadav, too didn't last long and once he departed, it was all but over for the hosts. The lower-order did keep the entertainment quotient high with a few boundaries but India eventually lost the game by 49 runs. They still took home the series 2-1.