India 8 (Samson 107) beat 202 south africa 141 (Chakravarthy 3-25, Bishnoi 3-28) x 61 runs
They may have thought they had given themselves a chance when they eventually brought India down. South Africa had conceded their highest total at Kingsmead and were looking at conceding their highest score against India, but after Samson was dismissed in the 17th over, India were 28 runs off 20 balls and lost four wickets. They still recorded their fourth-highest total against South Africa, which proved to be too much.
Gerald Cutch’s return
The rest didn’t go as well. India captain Suryakumar hit a four over Coetzee’s head and then a six over fine leg to get 10 runs in the opening over. Coetzee closed the Powerplay with India on 56 for one. Coetzee made an in-match comeback when he was asked to bowl at the death and was caught at deep point by Hardik Pandya for just two, with Rinku Singh caught behind for a second over. ball.
Kruger’s timeless story that ended with a wicket
Tilak is too good to leave out
Tilak joined the boundary-striking action and hit his second ball into the wind over deep backward square for a six. He sent the first ball of Peter’s second ball between deep mid-wicket and deep backward square, then tore into Kruger’s tactics to avoid a boundary down the short leg side. He hits the back point and sweeps through fine leg. His innings was cut short when he hit Maharaj to the deep backward square boundary, which was well caught by Marco Jansen, but his cameo gave India some mid-order momentum in the innings.
Markram’s lean practices continue as they do in South Africa.
It has been two years since Markram scored his T20I half-century and his run continued with his seventh single-digit score in this match. Markram looked particularly odd as he tried to play Arshdeep through mid-wicket, but closed the face of the bat too early and was given a faint edge by Samson, who was dropped in the first over. This set the tone for an innings in which South Africa could never succeed. Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton were both dismissed in the Powerplay and South Africa finished with 3 for 49. The combination of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller put them at 42 in 6.1 overs, but once they were separated, South Africa collapsed. They were bowled inside 18 overs and recorded their fourth lowest score against India, losing the series opener by 61 runs.
Varun eliminates South Africa’s best
Chakravarthy took two of South Africa’s middle-order players and put them in the space of three balls. In the final over, Klaasen attempted to pull a slightly shorter ball but sent it straight to Axar Patel at long-on. And two balls later, Miller hit Chakravarthy to Avesh at square leg and South Africa had risen from 79 for 3 to 87 for 5 and were looking straight at defeat.
