India vs South Africa T20I: Team India’s first T20I match against South Africa on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram was marked by multiple victories. First, the opposition was stunned by Arshdeep Singh (3/32) and Deepak Chahar (2/24) who reduced them to 9/5 in 2.3 overs. But South Africa came back to score 106/8. Before the hosts reached their goal with 20 balls remaining and took a 1-0 lead, India lost captain Rohit Sharma for a duck and star batsman Virat Kohli for three.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, which begins next month in Australia, KL Rahul (51*) and Suryakumar Yadav (50*) put up an unbroken 93-run partnership to finish the chase. India now advances to their final two matches in the format.
Surya, who is currently India’s best T20 batter by a wide margin, scored a streaky six off Nortje when his attempted flick went into an outside edge that soared past third-man. Suryakumar hit another six by whipping the ball over backward square leg off the next ball after this occurred on the third ball of the seventh over.
WATCH: The superb six of Suryakumar Yadav vs South Africa
Before the match began, India’s speed spearhead Jasprit Bumrah left with “back pain,” so new-ball bowlers Chahar and Arshdeep made it count.
Keshav Maharaj, who batted at number eight, scored 41 runs off just 35 balls to help South Africa bat all 20 overs and raise their meagre total to a respectable total.
Temba Bavuma, the captain, was dismissed by Chahar for a fourth-ball duck, while fellow opener Quinton de Kock pulled a left-arm quick Arshdeep delivery onto his stumps. When Arshdeep bowled David Miller the following ball after having Rilee Rossouw caught behind for zero, the Proteas found themselves in even more danger.
When Tristan Stubbs was bowled by Chahar in the third over, South Africa’s T20 international began with the worst possible start.
For the sixth wicket, Aiden Markram (25) and Wayne Parnell (24) scored 33 runs together, slowing India’s progress. Parnell was bowled out in the 16th over, but Maharaj persevered till the last over, when Harshal Patel took his second wicket.
In response, India battled to 17-1 in the first six overs when Rohit was returned by Kagiso Rabada, and the hosts later lost Kohli when the fast bowler Anrich Nortje got Kohli caught behind.
With two sixes, including a fortunate one with an edge that soared over deep third man to energise the crowd, Suryakumar calmed the crowd’s anxieties.
In his 33-ball innings, the in-form Suryakumar blasted five fours and three sixes while battling the spinners with Rahul, who stood anchor, as the two went about the chase with surgical accuracy.
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