IND vs SA 2022: Hits and flops as India seals the three-match series in GuwahatiΒ
Despite a fabulous 106* from David Miller, India managed to trounce South Africa in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on October 2.
It was a run fest on Sunday as a total of 458 was scored in the high-scoring encounter.
It was a scintillating showing by the Indian batters first in Guwahati, as India posted a mammoth score of 237/3 from their 20 overs. Openers KL Rahul (61) and Rohit Sharma (43) gave India a fiery start after Temba Bavuma invited the hosts to open the batting.
Suryakumar Yadav (66) took over after the openers departed as he raced to his fifty in 18 balls to bring the packed home crowd to their feet.
He and Virat Kohli (49*) ripped into the opposition's attack until the partnership was disrupted by a mix-up and Suryakumar was run out at the non-striker's end. Dinesh Karthik provided the perfect finish following Suryakumar's dismissal, as he remained unbeaten on 17 off 7 deliveries, smashing a four and two sixes.
The target of 238 was always going to be a stiff one for the visitors, even more so after they lost two early wickets inside the first two overs. However, a massive 174-run unbeaten stand between Miller (106*) and Quinton De Kock (69*) nearly got them over the line.
Arshdeep Singh, who began his spell with two quick wickets, gave away 62 runs from his quota of four overs while Axar Patel (1/53) and Harshal Patel (0/45) were also on the expensive sides.
However, the explosive Proteas duo of Miller and De Kock could not get their team over the line and handed India a 16-run win in the end.
In this article, we will take a look at the hits and flops from the high-octane second T20I between India and South Africa.
#4 Flop - South African pacers
The South African bowlers, particularly pacers, had no answer for the carnage wreaked by the Indian batters. Barring Keshav Maharaj, who was the only successful South African bowler on Sunday, all the visiting bowlers looked clueless and proved to be easy targets for the Indian batters to hit.
Out of 20 overs from the Indian innings, 15 overs were bowled by the South African pacers, including Kagiso Rabada (0/57), Wayne Parnell (0/54), Anrich Nortje (0/41) and Lungi Ngidi (0/49). In those 15 overs, India accumulated as many as 201 runs.
This is the first time that all the pacers of a full-member ICC side went wicketless and conceded more than 150 runs in a single T20I.
#3 Hit - Suryakumar Yadav
The meteoric rise of Suryakumar Yadav has seen in his white-ball career this year has been nothing short of special. In his purple patch currently, the Mumbai lad has been scoring runs for fun and let out the beast version of himself once again on Sunday.
Batting at No. 4, Suryakumar took full toll on the African bowlers, smashing them all around the park. In a brieg stay that consisted of just 21 balls, the 32-year-old clobbered five boundaries and as many sixes, scoring 66 runs in total.
Suryakumar once again proved to be the linchpin of the Indian batting as his extraordinary acceleration in the middle overs took India's total out of South Africa's reach.
#2 Flop - Temba Bavuma
For the second time in the series, South African skipper Temba Bavuma proved to be the weak link for his side as he registered another duck in the second T20I in Guwahati.
Opening alongside Quinton De Kock, Bavuma played out the first over from Deepak Chahar as a maiden. The right-hander never really looked settled and got beaten a number of times before throwing his wicket away in the second over.
In order to compensate for his six dot deliveries, Bavuma tried to do something against Arshdeep Singh and holed out at mid-off.
Bavuma's batting and leadership abilities have been deemed wanting throughout the series, with the 32-year-old also recording a four-ball duck in the first T20I.
#1 Hit - David Miller
With three wickets already in the bag and South Africa requiring 191 more runs in their last 82 balls, the Indian camp might have felt that the game was in the bag. However, the introduction of David Miller, who changed the equation with his breathtaking strokeplay, gave India a run for their money from there on.
While his partner Quinton De Kock was finding it hard to middle the ball regularly, Miller tore into the Indian bowlers with several lusty blows.
The southpaw, who became the first South African to score 2000 T20I runs on Sunday, clobbered eight boundaries and seven maximums from 47 balls. During the last over of the game, Miller reached a wonderful hundred off his 46th ball, smashing Axar Patel for a massive six over cow corner.
However, Miller's fantastic unbeaten innings of 106 could not take the Proteas over the line.