India vs South Africa (IND vs SA) 2nd T20I: India beat South Africa by seven wickets in the second T20I in Mohali on Wednesday. Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with an unbeaten 72 to take his side home with six balls to spare. Opener Shikhar Dhawan (40 off 31) too made a significant contribution and shared a 61-run stand with the skipper, who scored his 22nd T20 fifty. His 52-ball knock comprised four boundaries and three sixes.
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Earlier, Kohli called correctly to win the toss and elected to field first. Batting first South Africa got off to a flier with QDK and Reeza Hendricks finding the gaps at will. While Hendricks fell in the third over, de Kock slammed his third international fifty. However, it was the Indian captain who turned the game on its head with a sensational catch to get rid of his counterpart. South Africa lost their way from that point as the runs dried up. With the wickets slowing down slightly, Indian bowlers used their skill to great effect as 11 runs came in the span of 15-19th over. South Africa were ultimately restricted to 149/5 in 20 overs.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w/c), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Beuran Hendricks, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde
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Virat Kohli becomes the leading T20I run-scorer going past Rohit Sharma with his 52-ball 72.
Shreyas Iyer ends the match with a boundary. Quinton de Kock trusted the debutant left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin to bowl the penultimate over with 12 runs needed. Virat Kohli released the pressure with a 91 metre six over long-on followed by Iyer finishing the match with a boundary. India beat South Africa by 7 wickets with six balls to spare. Virat Kohli - 72, Shreyas Iyer - 16
As easy as it gets. Kagiso Rabada bowls it fast and Virat Kohli flicks it away for a maximum over square leg. Effortless from the Indian skipper, no margin of error for Kagiso Rabada. Seven runs from the over, Rabada did well after conceding a six. IND - 138/3 in 18 overs, need 12 runs from 12 balls
Virat Kohli hits two consecutive boundaries off the first two deliveries of the over bringing down the required run rate. 11 runs from Andile Phehlukwayo's over. IND 131/3 in 17 overs, need 19 runs from 18 balls
Virat Kohli gets to his 22nd T20I fifty with a boundary. Kohli does not compromise on the quality of shots, no matter the format of the game. He gets to his half-century from 40 deliveries.
That's why India needed the left hand, right hand combination in the middle. Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin is benefitting after the wicket of Pant. Two right-handed batsmen in the middle. Five singles from the over. IND - 120/3 in 16 overs, need 30 runs from 24 balls
Shreyas Iyer showed his class with a cover drive oozing with class. Iyer did not get a boundary for it but off an edge the next delivery. 10 runs from the over, a bit of a roller coaster for Nortje on debut. IND - 115/3 in 15 overs
Poor shot selection haunts Rishabh Pant once again. It was a half-tracker from Bjorn Fortuin and Pant could have hit it anywhere but he picked out the fielder at short fine leg. Fortuin gets his debut T20I wicket, Pant out for 4. IND - 104/3 in 13.4 overs
Good comeback from Anrich Nortje after getting hit for two sixes in his first over. Just five singles from the over. Rishabh Pant has been sent ahead of Shreyas Iyer. No poor shots from Pant so far. IND - 101/2 in 13 overs
David Miller takes a stunner diving to his right at long-on to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan. A jaw-dropping effort from the experienced fielder. Even Dhawan smiled on his way back, Kohli was stunned too. Dhawan departs for 40. Shamsi gets his first wicket. IND - 94/2 in 11.4 overs
Bjorn Fortuin into the attack, the left-arm spinner got rewarded for his performance in the India A series. Fortuin did not make the perfect debut as Shikhar Dhawan spoiled it with a huge six over deep mid-wicket off the last ball of the over. IND - 89/1 in 11 overs
Six singles and a wide ball from Shamsi's over. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan have not been able to score a single boundary off Shamsi but they are milking him for singles. The required run rate is just 7 runs per over. IND - 79/1 in 10 overs
Virat Kohli takes on Dwaine Pretorius. There was enough room for him to open his arms and the ball did not hold on to the surface. A glorious shot from the skipper. That was followed by a straight loft from Shikhar Dhawan for a boundary. Pretorius faces the music, leaks 15 runs from the over. IND - 72/1 in 9 overs
Chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi starts off well giving just five singles from the over. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are not looking to over attack the spinner and take unnecessary risk. IND - 57/1 in 8 overs
Good over from Dwaine Pretorius, just five singles from it. The medium-fast bowlers are doing the trick here at Mohali. Shikhar Dhawan survives a close call, direct hit and he would have been a goner. IND - 52/1 in 7 overs
Quinton de Kock, he took the DRS for a caught-behind but there was a big gap between the bat and ball. The ball hit his thighs. Lucky for De Kock, South Africa did not lose the review as the hawkeye showed umpire's call as the ball was clipping the bails. Had the ball hit the stumps clearly, it would have been the luckiest DRS call ever. Six runs from the over. End of powerplay overs. IND - 45/1 in 6 overs
Virat Kohli gets off the strike with a boundary. Quinton de Kock introduces Dwaine Pretorius into the attack. Eight runs from his over. IND - 41/1 in 5 overs
Rohit Sharma gets out trying to play across the line. Rohit departs for 12, his only scoring shots were two sixes. Change of pace works for South Africa. Andile Phehlukwayo gets the breakthrough. Virat Kohli comes to bat. IND - 33/1 in 4 overs
Shikhar Dhawan hits Kagiso Rabada for two boundaries in a row. Exquisite timing from the southpaw. This is an excellent start for India chasing a target of 150. 9 runs from the over. Quinton de Kock may look to change the pace as Kohli did in the powerplay overs. IND - 30/0 in 3 overs
Rohit Sharma gets off the strike in style. Short ball from Anrich Nortje and Rohit pulls it on the front foot for a maximum. Nortje does not know what did he do wrong, masterclass from Rohit as he does it again, this time over deep square leg. Quinton de Kock is just admiring the shot. A horrible start to the T20I career for Nortje, 13 runs from the over. IND - 21/0 in 2 overs
Kagiso Rabada struggled with his line early on as he bowled two wides. Shikhar Dhawan hits the first boundary of the innings. Eight runs from Rabada's first over. IND - 8/0 in 1 over
This should not be hard for the Indian batting lineup. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma come out to bat. Meanwhile, Dhawan has changed his jersey number from 25 to 42. Target - 150
Virat Kohli went off the field in the final over of the innings. After throwing one from the deep, Kohli was clutching his back and then left the field. Rohit Sharma handled the proceedings in his absence.
Despite the finish, South Africa struggled to score at the back end of the innings. After Quinton de Kock's wicket in the 12th over, South Africa could not accelerate the way they would have hoped.
However, the big question is whether Kohli will bat at no.3 or not.
South Africa will have momentum on their side as they come on to defend 150. After Andile Phehlukwayo's massive strike, Dwaine Pretorious makes Navdeep Saini for bowling a predictable slower one on the last delivery. SA - 149/5 in 20 overs
Andile Phehlukwayo wildly swings his bat and hits the ball way back into the crowd over the mid-wicket boundary. With three balls to go what can he do?
Just four singles and the wicket of David Miller. Hardik Pandya does exceptionally well after getting hit for 24 runs in his first two overs. He finishes with bowling figures 1 for 31. Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorious struggling to time the ball. SA - 133/5 in 19 overs
Excellent start from Hardik Pandya. First, he checked the fielders inside the circle and saved his side from an unwanted no-ball at this stage. And then, he bowled a fuller slower delivery on the stumps. David Miller went for a full-bloodied shot but committed too early. Clean bowled!. Miller departs for 18. SA - 129/5 in 18.1 overs
Deepak Chahar not giving much pace to the batsmen. Chahar bowled slow off-cutters to David Miller, saving the boundary. Three singles and a wicket in his last over of the innings. He finishes with 2 for 22 in four overs. SA - 129/4 in 18 overs
Temba Bavuma succumbs to the pressure of dot balls created in the previous over by Navdeep Saini. Deepak Chahar gets his second wicket. Bavuma plays a lofted shot but it could not cross Jadeja at long on. Bavuma departs for 49, the fourth joint-highest score by a South African batsman on T20I debut. He also becomes the fifth batsman to get out on 49 on T20I debut. SA - 126/4 in 17.1 overs
Navdeep Saini does well. Saini mixes up the pace and makes it hard for Temba Bavuma to hit boundaries despite numerous attempts. Just four runs from the over, three dot balls to Bavuma as well. SA - 126/3 in 17 overs
Finally, David Miller opens his arms and hits Washington Sundar with the spin, over the extra cover for a maximum. 12 runs from Sundar's third over. Bavuma is just three runs from his maiden T20I fifty on debut. SA - 122/3 in 16 overs
Just five single from Hardik Pandya's over. This is a good comeback from Hardik after getting hit for 24 runs in his first over. David Miller is yet to hit a boundary. Bavuma nears his half-century on T20I debut. SA - 110/3 in 15 overs
Krunal Pandya into the attack. Temba Bavuma has looked to work the ball into the gaps and pick up twos. Seven runs from the over. David Miller is being patient. Miller has done well at Mohali playing for Kings XI Punjab in IPL over the years. SA - 105/3 in 14 overs
Ravindra Jadeja takes a fantastic catch off his own bowling to dismiss Rassie van der Dussen. Jadeja has bowled fast in the innings but bowled a slower one to deceive Dussen. SA - 90/3 in 12.1 overs
A last-moment dive from Virat Kohli running to his left gives India the much-needed wicket. Quinton de Kock goes down the track and hits Navdeep Saini down the ground. De Kock did not have timing on the shot and it barely cleared the in-field. Kohli came running from the mid-off position to take the catch. The South African skipper departs for 52. SA - 88/2 in 11.2 overs
Leading from the front, Quinton de Kock reaches his half-century from 35 deliveries. This is De Kock's third T20I half-century. Meanwhile, he comes the third South African to hit a T20I fifty on captaincy debut. This also brings up the 50-run partnership for the second wicket. 9 runs from Jadeja's third over. Time to bring back Washington Sundar? SA - 87/1 in 11 overs
Virat Kohli is not happy. A fumble from Shreyas Iyer led to Temba Bavuma and De Kock go for the extra run. Iyer's throw was not on target as well. Hardik Pandya did not make the effort to pick up the ball, another run for South Africa. Three runs from that delivery. Bavuma has been impressive so far, two boundaries in a row from Hardik's over. Even Rohit Sharma as he tells his Mumbai Indians teammate to not bowl short balls. Expensive over from Hardik, 14 runs from it. SA - 78/1 in 10 overs
After four singles off the first four deliveries, Quinton de Kock came down the wicket and manipulated Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm spinner banged it short and De Kock pulled it towards square leg for a boundary. 9 runs from the over. SA - 64/1 in 9 overs
Temba Bavuma takes on Hardik Pandya, hits the faster short ball for a maximum over deep square leg. Powerful pull shot from Bavuma as he hits the first six of the match. SA - 55/1 in 8 overs
Another bowler who bowls in the high nineties. Ravindra Jadeja gets through his over quickly, six singles from it. Interestingly, Sundar is out of the attack despite giving just a single in his previous over. SA - 45/1 in 7 overs
The powerplay overs have not been ideal for South Africa. They have lost the wicket of Reeza Hendricks and the run rate is below 7 runs per over. Quinton de Kock is punishing everything in his arc and making the bowlers think. De Kock has done the bulk of scoring so far. Temba Bavuma is yet to get off the strike. SA - 39/1 in 6 overs
Virat Kohli introduces Washington Sundar in the powerplay overs. A beautiful start for Sundar as he gives just one run in his first over. Bowling in high nineties, Sundar did not give room to Kock to open his arms. SA - 32/1 in 5 overs
Reeza Hendricks plays a half-hearted lofted shot but fails to clear the mid-on fielder Washington Sundar. Deepak Chahar draws first blood for India. Hendricks was in great form in India A series but he has failed to convert it into international success here. He departs for 6 from 11 deliveries. Debutant Temba Bavuma comes to bat. SA - 31/1 in 3.5 overs
Navdeep Saini pays the price for bowling too full and under the bat of Quinton de Kock. The South African skipper hits him for three boundaries in a row. A good over for South Africa, 13 runs from it. SA - 24/0 in 3 overs
Deepak Chahar opens the bowling for India from the other end. After bowling two good deliveries, Chahar bowls one on Reeza Hendricks' pads. Hendricks hits it for a boundary. Good comeback from Chahar, two dot balls to end the over. SA - 11/0 in 2 overs
Quinton de Kock is up and runnung in fine style as he dispatches Washington Sundar past the cover region for a four. SA will have to put big runs on the board and try to put pressure on the Indian top order from the word go. SA - 6/0 after 1 over.
Pre-match rituals and national anthems are done with. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock to open for SA. Washington Sundar will open the bowling for India. Let's PLAY!!!
Temba Bavuma is among three debutants for South Africa. India play three spin-bowling allrounders, Rahul Chahar misses out.
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini
Quinton de Kock(w/c), Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Team India have won the toss and will bowl first here in Mohali. Iyer at 4. Both Jadeja and Sundar playing. India bat till 9. Khaleel misses out. Navdeep and Chahar make the cut.
No green tinge on top of the surface in Mohali and this wont excite fast bowlers. Because of the black patches, odd ball will keep low. It looks hard and batsman willing to show some patience will succeed. Win the toss and field first says Sunil Gavaskar.
India have won the matches in Mohali by 6 wickets. The first vs Sri Lanka in December 2009 and the other vs Australia in 2016. So history favours the hosts. Meanwhile, David Miller needs 2 catches to reach the milestone of 50 catches in T20 cricket.
After a washout in the 1st T20I in Dharamsala there is good news in store as the match in Mohali is unlikely to get affected by rain. However, humidty could become a concern for the players towards the latter half of the evening.
Both India and South Africa are setting on a new path of finding young talent to take their teams forward. Indian cricket next objective is the T20 World Cup in Australia next November. The ongoing series against South Africa is the first step towards that. with the first match of the in Dharamsala washed out , the series begins here in Mohali. Stay tuned for live updates.