India's Virat Kohli, second right, congratulates South Africa's David Miller on scoring a century during the second T20 cricket match between India and South Africa, in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)India vs South Africa 2nd T20 Match Highlights: India defeated South Africa by 16 runs in a high-scoring second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday. Sent in to bat, India posted a massive 237 for three, riding on a solid batting display by the top four and then returned to restrict the visitors to 221 for 3 in the stipulated 20 overs. Quinton de Kock (69 not out) and David Miller (106 not out) did the bulk of scoring for the visitors.
KL Rahul (57) and Rohit Sharma (43) put on a 96-run opening stand to set the foundation for India at the Barsapara cricket stadium. Suryakumar Yadav (61) then took centre stage as he smashed five boundaries and as many sixes en route to his 102-run stand off just 40 balls with Virat Kohli (49 not out). Dinesh Karthik then made some lusty blows in his seven-ball 17 not out.
Keshav Maharaj (2/23) was the most successful bowler for South Africa but it turned out to be a disastrous day for the rest of his bowling colleagues. For India, Arshdeep Singh (2/62) and Axar Patel (1/53) were the wicket-takers.
Follow highlights of IND vs SA from Guwahati below.
India
237/3 (20.0)South Africa
221/3 (20.0)India beat South Africa by 16 runs
Mohammed Siraj is likely to replace Harshal Patel.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Quinton de Kock and David Miller are known Indophiles. Between them they have represented 7 IPL franchise teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad, RCB, MI, Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI. They are friends with most in the Indian team - they have shared dressing rooms and team hotels with them. Being senior members of their IPL sides, they have been part of team core groups that have hatched plans against all the regulars of the Indians team. With about 7 overs to go in the chase, the two had to score close to 18 runs - three sixes - per over to win for South Africa. In the next over they did manage three. Since India is their second home, almost like their backyard, they knew the conditions. They are well aware that no run-mountain is tough to conquer when in India. They were up against Arshdeep, Axar, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar - all sly bowlers in the business of conning big hitters in death overs. And that made the difference. In the last 5 overs they needed to score 20 per over, in the final 3 overs it was 24. In the final over it was 37. Six sixes and a no-ball - Indians had bowled many during the game. If not 6, they did hit 3 and South Africa fell short by 16 runs. The two men, who knew India like the back of the hands, couldn't pull it off. But they did run them close.
Even for the brilliance of David Miller and Quinton de Kock, it was a little too much for South Africa. India win the 2nd T20I by 16 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I.
WOW!
David Miller brings up his second T20 hundred in just 46 deliveries. What a sight he has been on the night!
26 runs off Arshdeep Singh's 19th over. David Miller has brought the equation from 63 off 12 balls to 37 needed off the last six. The Indian players are in a huddle. Axar Patel has the bowl. Quinton de Kock on strike.
Harshal Patel only concedes 11 and the equation is now 63 needed off 12 balls. Even for the biggest of cricket romantics this can go only one way now.
Even though it was far from the most economical over he has bowled tonight (which was a maiden), Deepak Chahar's final over with only eight runs conceded is one India would welcome with open arms. The equation becoming more improbable for the visitors. 164/3 after 17 overs.
Quinton de Kock also gets his fifty and even though South Africa need 82 off the last 24, with these two in the middle, India won't be able to breath easy. 100 partnership up as well. South Africa, 156/3 after 16 overs.
After scoring 33 off 34, Quinton de Kock has put his foot on the throttle. A pull for a six over deep mid-wicket, a slog over cow corner for a six and smash down the ground for four. 18 off the 15th over, South Africa are 143/3.
Fifty off 25 deliveries for David Miller. Crucial for Proteas that he sees this through all the way. With de Kock at 29 off 31 balls, he'd have to play the aggressor role like a dream wuth 113 required to win off the last 36 balls.
David Miller overtakes JP Duminy (1934) to become South Africa's highest run scorer in the format. Next in the tally is Quinton de Kock (1918*), also in the middle.
If South Africa are to get to 238, they'd need David Miller to be at his very best and he was at his very best in that last over. 19 off it. 100 up for South Africa. 102/3 after 12.
Harshal Patel in to bowl the 12th. 2 runs from the first 2 balls. The fourth and the fifth ball goes for back to back fours. Killer Miller at his best here. SA 83/3 after 11 overs
Ashwin in to bowl the 10th over. Good over thus far. Just 4 runs from the first 5 balls. The last ball ends with a dot as we are halfway through. SA 70/3 after 10 overs
On to the 9th over now and Axar will bowl this one. South Africa batters are struggling at the moment. 3 runs from the first 3 balls before de Kock hits a boundary off the 4th ball!! SA 66/3 after 9 overs
Axar strikes!!! Markram is gone. Makes room and he gets an outside edger which rattles his stumps. South Africa lose 3 wickets in quick fashion. SA 48/3 after 6.4 overs
Rohit Sharma as India captain, much like MS Dhoni at CSK, has trusted Deepak Chahar to bowl a third over in powerplay very often. Doesn't get a wicket on the night but has kept the runs coming in tough for the visitors. After five overs, SA are 29/2.
Ravichandran Ashwin gets the new ball. Decent first over with just two wides and a boundary conceded, keeping Markram at bay for the majority of it. South Africa 21/2 after four overs.
Chahar offers extra bit of width to Markram, who takes the gift and gets his first boundary of the night. Eight off the over. South Africa, 15/2 after three overs.
Alright then, good news from the middle. The players are back on the field and the lights are back on.
Okay, this is unusual. One of the light towers has stopped resulting in the play being paused for the moment.
Deepak Chahar gets the ball to dance early on. Beat the South Africa captain comfortably on multiple occasions. South Africa, 0/0.
Captain Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock are in the middle to begin the chase for South Africa. Deepak Chahar has the new ball for India. Here we go..
18 off that final over. Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik finish big for India. South Africa just couldn't control the leak of runs from the very beginning. Two big partnerships, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (96). Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav (100). South Africa will need 238 to win.
With a repertoire of audacious strokes to ping every corner of a field and derring-do to pull them off in crunch time, Suryakumar Yadav is India’s most bankable T20 match-winner . Abhishek Purohit picks the best from the blade of the skilled batting maverick.
Read here: Nataraj swipe over fine leg, helicopter whip over wide on are some of the shots that make Suryakumar Yadav a 360-degree batsman
Sandeep Dwivedi: "It's an unbelievable shot," Ravi Shastri would say. He would repeat it again a few times. Suryakumar Yadav with a shot that defied cricketing conventions, geometry of angles and laws of physics had hit a six exactly behind him. This was no top edge, this was no mishit, this was a shot from the middle of the bat. And this against not some military medium bowler but world's premier pacer Kagiso Rabada. He got a full toss on the hips and Surya, like only he can, used those magical wrists of his. A full ball, slightly towards the leg-side, got a booster dose from Surya's bat. If the bowler had plans to get Surya caught on the square leg fence by bowling a full toss, it wouldn't work. On crease was Mr 360 who was changing the rules of the game. The ball after leaving Rabada's hand never touched the ground, it kept sailing after a brief meeting with Surya's bat. Shastri kept repeating 'unbelievable' - speaking for the cricketing world that was in a state of disbelief.
Oh, a mix up in the middle and Suryakumar Yadav is run out. The only way he could have been stopped today. 10 runs off the penultimate over. India, 219/3.
100 partnership up for Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. Off 42 deliveries. Ngidi finishes with bowling figures of 0/49. India, 209/3 after 18 overs.
There's 94 percent humidity right now in Guwahati but Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav are bringing the storm with the bat.
India's no. 3 and 4 are toying with the South Africa bowlers at the moment. Kohli joins the party. A six and two fours off that Wayne Parnell over. He finishes with figures of 0/54. The score, 194/2 after 17 overs.
Screengrab: Hotstar
UNBELIEVABLE!
That's the only adjective we can use to define him, right? Don't think there's one person at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium who isn't on their feet and applauding. Fifty off 18 deliveries for Suryakumar Yadav!
Ngidi gifts him with a full toss, and the form Suryakumar Yadav is in at the moment meant only one destination for the white cherry, stands. The 'Surya' chants only getting louder in Guwahati. Batting at a SR above 280 as he inches close to his fifty. India, 171/2 after 16 overs.
He just finds ways to have things go his way.
What wrist play from Suryakumar Yadav to dispatch that for a maximum! Back to back boundaries to begin Rabada's third over and back to back boundaries to wrap it up. 22 off the over. 150 up for India. 155/2 after 15 overs and the hosts are set for a big finish.
Screengrab: Hotstar
Sandeep Dwivedi: At the end of 7 overs of the Indian innings as the South Africans were repositionsing themselves, giving them company was a snake that was moving towards long-on.
In the history of the game, there have been several weird reasons for play getting stopped, but this was a first. Barsapara Cricket Stadium at Guwahati, Assam became the unique venue where a game was briefly stopped because of a gleaming black slithering reptile.
Surprisingly, the ground staff were equipped for the uninvited encroacher. It was a clear sign that snakes around here are genuine cricket fans and not the kind who only turn up for international games. The group of four uniformed men that sprinted on to the ground didn't seem nervous. One had a snake catching stick in hand and the other had a pail. The broadcasters played spoilsport as they moved the cameras from the snake-hunting expedition and started showing old footage of Rohit Shamra hitting sixes.
Traditionally, in India, it has been a good old stadium dog that was in the habit of making its presence felt on D-Day. Once in a while an army of bees have invaded the ground, forcing the humans to sprawl on the ground. A rhino would have been ideal but Assam got into the history books because of a snake.
Two boundaries for Suryakumar Yadav off the two overs he's featured in so far in his six ball innings. Kohli slashes hard on the final ball of that Ngidi over and it goes behind for a four. India, 125/2 after 13 overs.
Big wicket for South Africa. Rahul was looking at his dangerous best. Maharaj traps him lbw. India 113/2 after 12 overs.
Wow, Rahul!Look at that dance down the track to dispatch a maximum. Fifty for him. 100 for India.
First wicket for South Africa. The Indian captain unable to time a slog sweep towards the deep midwicket and Tristan Stubbs holds onto the catch off Keshav Maharaj's bowling. Virat Kohli walks in. India, 96/1 after 10 overs.
21 off the second Anrich Nortje over. Three fours and a six. Both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are in touching distance of their fifties. India, in touching distance of 100. 94/0 after 9 overs.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Second over of the day, Rohit Sharma is hurt on the finger and pain could be felt in the Indian dug-out. With the chatter over Jasprit Bumrah still very much alive, coach Rahul Dravid had 'not one more' look on his face. On the central square, Rohit had company, his opening partner KL Rahul, umpires and the team physio. Rohit would grimace every time he would flex his finger to comprehend the extent of damage. With suspense growing,Yuzvendra Chahal, on waterboy duty, would be sent to check in. Rohit was seen popping pills and ready to take guard again. A six to the long on within balls would have the spirits of the dug-out soaring and smiles returning. But it was a scare. With the World Cup to start in a fortnight, it is very likely India wouldn't be taking chances. Anyone taking bets - Rohit might be rested for the next game.
Well that's a first. Ground staff rushing onto the field as the broadcast pictures show a snake has stopped the play after seven overs in Guwahati.
Screengrab: Hotstar
Anrich Nortje bowls one on his pads and KL Rahul whips it over deep backward square for a six. Criminally good this from the Indian opener. 68/0 after 7 overs.
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma surpass Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to become the pair with most 50 plus T20I partnerships (15).
One over he's playing the most sensual of cover drives you'll see against a pacer, the other he's opening his arms to violence against a spinner, Rohit Sharma looks the best of both worlds when he's on song. 50 up for India in the powerplay. 57/0 after six overs.
Three boundaries off that Wayne Parnell over, 15 runs overall. KL Rahul started it off with a mighty fine maximum over deep backward square followed by a punch on the off side for four. Rohit Sharma later glanced one fine to beat the fielder at short fine. India, 36/0 after four overs.
Rohit Sharma comes down the ground to whack a maximum off Lungi Ngidi. But the pacer wins the contest off the next five deliveries without conceding any run. India, 21/0 after three overs.
Screengrab: Hotstar
KL Rahul pokes his bat at it and gets an inside edge which runs away to the fine leg fence. Missed by a whisker but a four nevertheless.
India certainly can't afford another injury before the T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma looked in discomfort, and Physio was out to check on Rohit's index finger on his left hand. Only time will tell the nature of this injury.
STREAKY! Rohit Sharma has opened his account with a boundary, but it seems like he has been in immense pain. Rohit Sharma attempted the scoop but just managed to get gloves on it, and flies over the first slip to the third man fence.
Harshal Patel: "The last 3-4 games have helped me get back into rhtyhm. The seam-up deliveries ate hitting 140ks and I am thinking clearly. The best way to attack on pitches like the last one (in Trivandrum) was to hit the right lengths in the right channel. You don't need to do anything else and just have to keep it simple."
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid had backed pacer Harshal Patel when asked of his troubles with the ball since his return. Harshal has conceded 125 runs and picked only three wickets in his last 12 overs of bowling.
“Harshal’s a really mentally strong cricketer,” Dravid had said in the pre-match presser. “I think he’s preparing really well, he’s practicing really hard. It (slump in form) can happen.”
Rohit Sharma: "Not too sure how the conditions will be. When I touched the pitch there was some stickiness and we gotta be a little cautious at the start. We got solid batting line-up and it will be a challenge upfront."
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi.
South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Phew!
The covers have been taken off after a few nervous minutes for the Guwahati crowd. Team India players in huddle at the moment ahead of the toss.
Visuals from Guwahati not looking the most optimistic as the ground staff has covered the playing square at the moment. No signs of rain at the moment. Cloud cover? You betta!
“Some of the changes or experiments that people like to call them are sometimes forced upon you. If Bumrah doesn’t play the last game, it’s not because we are experimenting. It’s because he gets injured. The five match series against South Africa in June, we played exactly the same XI in all five matches. People were saying, ‘why don’t they change the XI?’….so I think we can’t win either way. Whatever we do, people are going to say that. But I think in the group and in the team, we are very confident and sure about what we’ve been doing.”
Read more here.
Two bowlers, two controversies. The first one involving Deepti Sharma’s run out that once again sparked the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ debate, and the second involving Jasprit Bumrah, who might not be taking part in the upcoming T20 World Cup. In this episode, host Rahul Pandey is joined by Indian Express’ Devendra Pandey to talk about how Bumrah’s absence will affect India, and why what Sharma did was absolutely fair (and was just revenge for what happened in Lagaan).
“Till I get official confirmation that he is ruled out (of the T20 World Cup), we will always be hopeful,” India head coach Rahul Dravid said in a press conference when asked about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness and availability for the upcoming tournament in Australia.
Read more here!