David Miller’s heroic ton went in vain as India defeated South Africa by 16 runs to clinch the three-match T20I series against South Africa with a game to spare.
The second T20I at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium, which witnessed the rather unique event of play being held up due to a snake slithering into the playing area, turned out to be a high-scoring affair with both teams posting 200-plus scores.
For the second time in as many games, Suryakumar Yadav dazzled with the bat as he blazed his way to an 18-ball half-century, eventually falling for 61. Opener KL Rahul, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, also struck a half-century, while Virat Kohli remained stranded on 49.
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Skipper Rohit Sharma too contributed with the bat with a 37-ball 43 as the Indian batting order clicked as a unit.
The Proteas, in reply, lost wicket upfront with captain Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw both departing for ducks. Aiden Markram then steadied the ship with a 19-ball 33, before Miller and opener Quinton de Kock toyed with the Indian attack for the remainder of the innings as they stitched an unbroken 174-run stand for the fourth wicket.
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De Kock remained unbeaten on 69, providing valuable support while Miller played the aggressor’s role to perfection.
The two sides meet again on Tuesday in the final T20I in Indore. With the series already locked in India’s favour, both teams will look to experiment with their combinations in the build-up to the T20 World Cup that takes place in Australia later this month.
Looking back at the events of the second T20I, we bring to you five talking points from the game:
Indian batters clicking as a unit
For a change, the Indian batting order clicked as a unit instead of relying on one or two standout individual performances and it was essentially their batting performance that helped them clinch the series with a game to spare. Suryakumar Yadav was once again the standout batter with his 61 off just 22 balls and he forged a match-winning partnership with Virat Kohli, who was left stranded on 49 at the end of the innings.
Suryakumar Yadav raises his bat in celebration after completing his half-century in just 18 deliveries in the second T20I between India and South Africa in Guwahati. Sportzpics
At the top of the order, skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched a 96-run opening stand to lay the foundation for the mammoth total; while Rahul produced some delightful strokes in his 57, Rohit was happy to play the supporting role with his 43. And last, but not the least, Dinesh Karthik once again played the pinch-hitter’s role to perfection with his unbeaten 17 off just seven deliveries that contained two sixes and a four.
Keshav Maharaj’s standout spell
While the Proteas seamers took a serious beating during the carnage unleashed by SKY, Kohli, Rahul and the rest of the Indian batting order, left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj stood out from the rest with a spell of 4-0-23-2, finishing with an economy of less than six — the only one from his team with an economy under 12 among those who bowled more than one over.
Maharaj’s dismissal of Rohit and Rahul in consecutive overs helped tilt the momentum slightly in the Proteas’ favour and gave them a real shot at restricting the Men in Blue to 180 or less. Had it not been for Yadav collecting a boundary off his last delivery of the evening, he would’ve finished with an economy under five.
Temba Bavuma’s problems at the top
While Quinton de Kock remained unbeaten on 69 till the very end and remains an indispensable option at the top of the order for the Proteas, the same unfortunately, can’t be said of the skipper himself. Things haven’t really been going well for Temba Bavuma of late; not only was he ignored at the SAT20 player auction despite being the white-ball captain of the country organising the tournament, he would go on to register ducks in each of the first two matches in the T20I series against India.
With the T20 World Cup just a couple of weeks away from now, Bavuma has to sit back and wonder if he really is best suited for the opener’s slot. Back-to-back noughts, after all, do warrant such questions, which can only be silenced by a substiantial score.
South African middle-order in good hands
On any other day, David Miller’s blistering 106 not out — his second T20I hundred — would’ve helped South Africa post a match-winning total or chase down a target of 200 or less in a canter. Unfortunately, the fact that the South African bowlers were taken to the cleaners, coupled with the horrid start to the chase, meant even one of ‘Killer’ Miller’s best knocks of all time wouldn’t prevent the Proteas from falling short in the mammoth 238-run chase.
South African middle-order batter David Miller raises his arms in celebration after completing his century in the second T20I against India in Guwahati. Sportzpics
What his 47-ball innings did prove however, is that the South African middle order is secure in Miller’s hands even if there still are questions to be answered at the top. And that the southpaw, who has been having a stellar year so far, certainly is among the players to watch out for in the T20 World Cup that begins later this month.
Arshdeep Singh’s waywardness
After Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it was Arshdeep Singh’s turn to get afflicted by the ‘19th over curse’ — a term that has gained popularity among Indian cricket fans on social media in recent weeks — as the bowler endured a nightmare of an evening in Guwahati.
The left-arm seamer went for 26 runs in an error-strewn penultimate over of the South African chase, conceding a no ball and a wide and getting hit for two fours and as many sixes as his execution went haywire and allowed Miller to inch closer to the three-figure mark.
Arshdeep wasn’t the only Indian bowler to get smashed all over the park — Axar Patel (1/53) and Harshal Patel (0/45) went at more than 11-an-over. Certainly a lot to worry over for skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid as they prepare for the trip to Australia, especially with a big question mark hanging over star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s form and Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggling to find his rhythm.
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