SOUTH AFRICA VS INDIA: 2ND T20I, ST GEORGE’S PARK, GQEBERHA: South Africa Clinched Victory Despite Chakravarthy’s Fifer in 2nd T20I .
An exquisite bag of tricks from Spinner Varun Chakravarthy on the way to a first-ever fifer made for happy reading but only as an afterthought since South Africa were comfortably tucked away by circumstance, thanks to the devilish bollocks of Tristan Stubbs that saw them caringly sneak past India by three wickets in another pedestrian second T20I bargain deal here Sunday. The series is level 1-1 in the four-match assignment. However, in the process of ending India’s 11 match winning streak too, SA victory did not come without its share of drama. South Africa Clinched Victory Despite Chakravarthy’s Fifer in 2nd T20I .
TOSS-
South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl
South Africa Playing XI:
Ryan Rickleton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj and Nqabayomzi Peter
India Playing XI:
India XI: (From) Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy & Avesh Khan
INDIA-
Unlike in the first T20I, India’s innings simply did not get going. Batting mistakes from the visitors with three wickets down in the first four overs proved costly. Back-to-back centuries in his previous two outings, Sanju Samson was slain for a duck — which also made Marco Jansen the wicket-taker of the first over that turned out to be a maiden. Unlike two nights ago, South Africa continued with the pacers in the Power Play and were immediately rewarded when Gerald Coetzee got Abhishek Sharma to top edge a pull to short fine-leg after the fast bowler’s caught-behind appeal was turned down.
India’s misery turned worse when Surya Kumar Yadav fell for LBW to a yorker by Andile Simelane leaving India reeling at 15 for 3. Axar Patel, however, seemed to try the best when he struck Simelane for two timely boundaries. Varma also followed his tone with one six but then he was out for 20 off as many balls as David Miller took an excellent catch at cover.
He hit two more boundaries off Nqaba Peter before his run out at the bowler’s end after Hardik Pandya played a straight drive. Pandya’s first boundary came off his 27th ball in the 17th over and till then the South Africans had kept him mostly quiet. In between, Peter had two wickets when Rinku Singh lobbed a slog-sweep high in the air, which was caught by Coetzee.
Pandya subsequently increased the tempo by striking two fours and a six off Jansen while retaining the strike with Arshdeep Singh. The final over brought India just six runs, with Pandya being dropped twice by Aiden Markram and Coetzee.
SOUTH AFRICA-
South Africa replied with four boundaries in the first three overs before Ryan Rickelton flicked a slower ball from Arshdeep to deep backward square-leg. Markram was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Pandya and after tea was cleaned up by Chakravarthy. In his second over, the off spinner then got the wicket of Reeza Hendricks.
The promotion of Marco Jansen didn’t pay off either as he too was bowled by Chakaravarthy. He then picked up the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller off two consecutive deliveries as the home side found themselves in a deeper hole at 66 for 6. All this time, Stubbs was keeping an eye on and watching how the weather conditions were. There was, however, an ugly hoick attempted by Simelane that ultimately went to sparring and rattled his stumps as he gained in confidence slowly.
India having opted for pace with 37 needed off the last four overs, South Africa stepped on the gas straight away as Coetzee bludgeoned Arshdeep for a 103-metre six. The batter then helped himself to a couple of boundaries in Avesh Khan’s over, which eventually cost the bowler 12 runs. Stubbs then slammed four boundaries off Arshdeep Singh to seal the win for the hosts in the penultimate over.
Brief Scores:
India 124/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 39*, Axar Patel 27; Aiden Markram 1-4, Nqaba Peter 1-20) lost to South Africa 128/7 in 19 overs (Tristan Stubbs 47*, Reeza Hendricks 24; Varun Chakravarthy 5-17, Ravi Bishnoi 1-21) by 3 wickets.