India VS South Africa T20I: Seamers, Middle Order Batters star in a comprehensive eight-wicket win for India
India has yet to win a home T20I series against South Africa. It’s a stat that often gets played up, and while it is undoubtedly impressive, it appears the current team is dead set on reversing the trend
Deepak Chahar in tandem with Arshdeep stopped SAThe three-match T20I series is the last competitive series both teams will play before the T20 World Cup. And India started the series with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in Trivandrum on Wednesday (September 28).
It was a win set up by the bowlers, who wreaked havoc early on after India won the toss and elected to field first.
Indeed, it was the out-of-form skipper who was first to fall. Having just survived three out-swinging balls from Deepak Chahar, he had no chance when the pacer – included ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, who complained of back pain before the game – got one to swing back in and cart into the stumps.
His new ball partner Arshdeep Singh, sensing that the ball was moving quite a bit with stormy overhead conditions and a green track, focused merely on landing the ball in the right areas.
It worked a treat, as he got rid of Quinton de Kock (1), Rilee Rossouw (0) and David Miller (0) all in his first over.
To make matters worse, Tristan Stubbs, who recently became the most expensive auction buy in the SA20 auction, departed for a golden duck after holing out off Chahar’s bowling.
The scorecard read 9-5 in 2.3 overs. To say the hosts were in some trouble was an understatement.
Aiden Markram and Wayne Parnell began the rebuild, which was always going to be slow and painful. Markram departed for a 24-ball 25, and Parnell followed shortly after that.
At 68-7, they were well in danger of being struck down before the 100-run figure. Thankfully, a valuable 41 from Keshav Maharaj propelled them to 106-8 in their 20 overs.
It didn’t seem enough to win the encounter, but a couple of early wickets on a track still seaming had the potential to make a contest of things.
And that is what happened. Kagiso Rabada got rid of Rohit Sharma early, whereas Anrich Nortje chipped in with the vital wicket of Virat Kohli.
India, who started cautiously due to the ball moving, was 17-2 in 6.1 overs. Another wicket or two could have set the cat among the pigeons.
Thankfully for Indian fans, that did not happen. KL Rahul (51* off 56 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (50* off 33 balls) ensured there would be no more hiccups and that India got home with 20 balls to spare.
Suryakumar Yadav played the role of an aggressor, while Rahul played the role of the collector. It worked, thanks in no small part to the fact that India didn’t have a big total to chase.
In the end, the hosts can congratulate themselves on a well-done job. For the visitors, however, there are plenty of questions to be pondered upon ahead of the 2nd T20I at Guwahati.