PERTH, October 30
Suryakumar Yadav played probably the best knock of his short international career but South Africa exposed India’s inadequacies against pace and bounce to win a low-scoring thriller by five wickets in the T20 World Cup here today.
After Yadav made 68 off 40 balls in India’s below-par 133/9, the bowlers had the challenge of defending the modest total. The lion-hearted Arshdeep Singh (2/25) did bowl another dream first spell but Aiden Markram (52 off 41 balls) and David Miller (59 not out off 46) ensured South Africa achieved the target in 19.4 overs.
South Africa, with five points from three games, head the Group 2 points table ahead of India (four points from three matches). India, who have to play Bangladesh (November 2 in Adelaide) and Zimbabwe (November 6 in Melbourne) next, are within striking distance of a semifinals berth.
India’s defeat today made Pakistan’s task of qualifying for the semifinals tougher. Pakistan have two points from three matches and they can qualify for the knockout stage only if they win their last two games and other results also go their way.
Tough track
Thanks to Yadav, India made a match of it in cold conditions on the tournament’s spiciest track, but Virat Kohli’s costly drop of Markram at deep mid-wicket off Ravichandran Ashwin — when the batsman was on 35 and South Africa 63/3 — cost India dear, apart from some close run-out chances.
What hurt India most was an inept show from top-order batsmen, and Yadav was once again the saving grace and shining light. Yadav’s little gem of an innings saved India from complete disaster after the team was down and out at 49/5 in 8.3 overs. Perhaps the world’s most decorated T20I batter in recent times, Yadav seemed vastly superior to his teammates as none of them could pass even 15 runs.
Yadav reached his 50 with a pulled six and a four off Lungi Ngidi, who picked up four for 29 in four overs. Those were the only boundaries scored off Ngidi, who enjoyed a wonderful evening and laid bare the frailties of the Indian top-order against pace and bounce. Some of the top-order players were failing to get their bats down in time even as the ball reached the keeper’s gloves.
In a stand of 52 for the sixth wicket, Yadav shielded the veteran Dinesh Karthik (6 off 15 balls), who is not exactly known for a sound technique on difficult tracks.
Yadav didn’t try to counter the pace but used it to play behind the square. When the lone spinner, Keshav Maharaj, came on, he used the extra bounce to first play the late cut and then a lap sweep over deep fine leg for a six.
Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first on a spicy deck was brave and while all eyes were on Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, it was reserve pacer Ngidi who hurt India the most.
The slide started when an out-of-form KL Rahul (9 off 14 balls) played a maiden over off Wayne Parnell. The windy, cold conditions helped Parnell to pitch it full and move the ball to beat Rahul’s bat multiple times.
That increased the pressure on Sharma, who hooked Rabada for a six in the second over, but was beaten by Ngidi with a ‘heavy ball’ — it climbed on Sharma and made him hurry his pull shot, and the bowler completed a simple catch.
Kohli hit Ngidi for fours on the first two balls of the seventh over but was out on the fifth when he took on a bouncer and was caught by Rabada for 12 — his first failure of the tournament.
It was left to Yadav to save India the blushes with a knock that had six fours and three sixes, but he couldn’t save the night. — PTI
Scoreboard
India
Runs Balls 4s 6s
KL Rahul c Markram b Ngidi 9 14 0 1
Rohit Sharma c & b Ngidi 15 14 1 1
Virat Kohli c Rabada b Ngidi 12 11 2 0
S Yadav c Maharaj b Parnell 68 40 6 3
Deepak Hooda c de Kock b Nortje 0 3 0 0
Hardik Pandya c Rabada b Ngidi 2 3 0 0
Dinesh Karthik c Rossouw b Parnell 6 15 0 0
R Ashwin c Rabada b Parnell 7 11 0 0
Bhuvneshwar Kumar not out 4 6 0 0
Mohammed Shami run out 0 2 0 0
Arshdeep Singh not out 2 1 0 0
Extras: (b 5, lb 2, w 1) 8
Total: (9 wickets, 20 overs) 133
FOW: 1-23, 2-26, 3-41, 4-42, 5-49, 6-101, 7-124, 8-127, 9-130
Bowling O M R W
Wayne Parnell 4 1 15 3
Kagiso Rabada 4 0 26 0
Lungi Ngidi 4 0 29 4
Anrich Nortje 4 0 23 1
Keshav Maharaj 3 0 28 0
Aiden Markram 1 0 5 0
South Africa
Runs Balls 4s 6s
Q de Kock c Rahul b Arshdeep 1 3 0 0
Temba Bavuma c Karthik b Shami 10 15 0 1
Rilee Rossouw lbw b Arshdeep 0 2 0 0
Aiden Markram c Yadav b Pandya 52 41 6 1
David Miller not out 59 46 4 3
Tristan Stubbs lbw b Ashwin 6 6 1 0
Wayne Parnell not out 2 5 0 0
Extras: (b 4, lb 2, w 1) 7
Total: (5 wickets, 19.4 overs) 137
FOW: 1-3, 2-3, 3-24, 4-100, 5-122
Bowling O M R W
Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3.4 0 21 0
Arshdeep Singh 4 0 25 2
Mohammed Shami 4 0 13 1
Hardik Pandya 4 0 29 1
Ravichandran Ashwin 4 0 43 1
Player of the Match: Lungi Ngidi
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