IND vs SA 2022: Hits and flops as South Africa go 2-0 up in series
The second match of the ongoing India vs South Africa T20I series, on Sunday at Cuttack, saw a four-wicket victory for the visitors. With this win, the South African team doubled their lead in the series to 2-0.
Put in to bat first, the Indian camp endured regular blows to slump to 98 for five on a tacky surface. Ishan Kishan hit an attacking 34 and Shreyas Iyer gathered 40 but both failed to convert their starts into big scores. Courtesy of a late blitz by Dinesh Karthik, India registered an under-par total of 148 runs.
In reply, South Africa had a dodgy start, losing three of their wickets inside the powerplay. However, an inspired batting effort by Henrich Klassen (81 off 46) led his team to a rather convincing victory in the end.
Winning the game with 10 balls to spare, South Africa need just one more win to seal the five-match series in their favor. On that note, let's look at the hits and flops from the second India vs South Africa T20I.
#4 Flop - Ruturaj Gaikwad (India)
Ruturaj Gaikwad needs to buckle up before it's too late.. The competition is too heavy at the top 🙃
#INDvsSA https://t.co/ZH6qelw6mI
With the unavailability of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad was handed a big opportunity to showcase his talent in the blues of India. However, the talented batter has thus far failed to impress.
After making a scratchy 23 in the first game, Gaikwad was dismissed for just one off four on Sunday.
In the very first over against Kagiso Rabada, the right-hander aimed to play a loose drive away from his body. However, he could only slice the ball to point and gave away his wicket on a delivery that was there to be put away. Gaikwad's dismissal jolted India early in the game.
#3 Hit - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a peach of a spell against South Africa! 💥
#india #southafrica #indvsa #CricketTwitter https://t.co/7yPTEmVgB6
Barring veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the rest of the Indian bowlers have looked mediocre in the last couple of matches.
The right-arm pacer was also India's best player on show in the second T20I. He created havoc in the Proteas batting lineup with his tight lines and swing.
Defending 148, India needed to get off to a good start in the second innings. Bhuvneshwar took the onus of delivering right from the word go.
He clean bowled opener Reeza Hendricks in the first over before outfoxing floater Dwaine Pretorius. Rishabh Pant made the right decision by giving the 32-year-old a third over in the powerplay as Bhuvneshwar delivered another wicket, of Rassie van der Dussen.
He finished his quota of four overs with another wicket of Wayne Parnell in the 18th over. The Meerut-born bowler ended the game with fabulous figures of 4-0-13-4.