South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20 series against India after winning the second game at St George’s Park in Gqeberha by five wickets on Tuesday, December 12. After the series opener was washed out in Durban, the rain threatened to have an impact on Tuesday as well, however, it could only shorten it to a 15-overs per side contest after India were done with their batting and South African batters made a mockery of the DLS adjusted target of 152 runs by chasing it down with seven balls to spare.
The Proteas raced to 38 runs in the first two overs as both Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke were off the blocks quickly. An unfortunate run-out meant India got lucky but skipper Aiden Makram kept the momentum. Hendricks was looking like a million dollars as he played some of the most exquisite shots and South Africa, it seemed, were in a hurry to finish the game off and leave for Johannesburg.
The home side reached 50 in just the fourth over while at the end of the first six overs, they were 78/1. Spinner or pacer, nothing was working for India as Hendricks and Markram had stepped foot on the gas and never lifted it. Mukesh Kumar dismissed Markram as the 54-run stand came to an end in a huge sigh of relief for India.
Hendricks missed his fifty by just one run and Heinrich Klaasen too departed cheaply as India got three wickets in quick succession. The reignited hope, however, was short-lived for India as the game was done in powerplay itself. The run rate never got too steep and the likes of David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Andile Phehlukwayo finished it off for the Proteas in just 13.5 overs.
Tabraiz Shamsi was awarded the Player of the Match award for his figures of 1/18 as he was the difference in South Africa chasing a 150-odd target or 170.
India had gotten off to a poor start losing both openers by the two-over mark. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma then did the repair job that too rapidly as they added 47 runs in the next 18 deliveries. Varma got out in the final over of the powerplay but Surya was joined by in-form Rinku Singh, who too maintained the scoring rate.
Surya smashed a 29-ball fifty while Rinku Singh reached his maiden T20I half-century in just 30 balls as the duo propelled the team to a total of 180 before their innings came to a premature end with rain interrupting the proceedings. There were three balls still left in the innings with pacer Gerald Coetzee on a hat-trick ball but the match resumed with South Africa’s innings straight away.
India will hope to make a strong comeback in the series decider at the Wanderers in Johannesburg where the weather is clear.