India vs South Africa 2019, 3rd T20I: Proteas outshine hosts to level the series
On an uncharacteristically abrasive surface at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore where the majority of Indian batsmen struggled at the crease, Quinton de Kock hammered a ferocious 79* in a low-scoring 3rd T20I to guide South Africa to victory.
Indian captain Virat Kohli uncharacteristically opted to bat first after winning the toss and the hosts struggled right from the outset. Beuran Hendricks drew first blood for the visitors when Rohit Sharma nicked an innocuous length delivery to slip.
Shikhar Dhawan welcomed chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi into the bowling attack with two colossal sixes as India looked to exert their dominance in the powerplay. However, Shamsi had the last laugh as Dhawan's wild slog was accepted gladly by Temba Bavuma, who pedalled backward from extra cover to take the catch.
Trying to force the issue, skipper Kohli perished cheaply to Kagiso Rabada leaving the hosts wobbling at 68/3. Pushed on to the backfoot by successive dismissals, the onus was on youngsters Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to provide impetus and carry the team to a defendable score. However, the efficient South African bowling unit didn't take their foot off the pedal.
Pant did little to silence his doubters as he threw away yet another promising start, miscuing a hoick straight down the throat of Andile Phehlukwayo at long-off. Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin then had Iyer stumped as India found themselves in a spot of bother at 92/5.
Krunal Pandya feathered one through to the keeper off Hendricks, who concluded his spell with excellent figures of 2 for 14. Hardik Pandya, shouldered with the responsibility of providing the late flourish, looked scratchy in the middle while Ravindra Jadeja played an impactful cameo.
India were eventually restricted to 134/9, managing to squeeze only 80 runs after the powerplay as the lower-middle order failed to unleash the big hits on a deteriorating pitch.
Kick-starting the modest chase, the Proteas' opening duo looked uncertain against Deepak Chahar who extracted prodigious movement off the deck with the new ball. Washington Sundar operated magnificently from the other end, containing the batsmen with remarkable precision. However, the raw pace of Navdeep Saini opened the floodgates as de Kock nonchalantly whipped the quick for a couple of boundaries with the utmost disdain to break the shackles.
The turning point of the match arrived when Chahar insisted on reviewing an LBW shout against Reeza Hendricks only for the original call to stand. The impact of the failed review was felt in the next over when de Kock was pinned in front of the wickets by Washington Sundar. Umpire Nitin Menon turned down the appeal, while TV replays later confirmed that it would have been three reds.
Hardik finally got a much-needed breakthrough when Reeza Hendricks skewed a top edge on an attempted pull, which was snapped up cleanly by a tumbling Kohli inches off the ground. De Kock, anchoring the chase, dispatched Hardik through the vacant square-leg region to bring up his half-century in just 38 balls. At the other end, Temba Bavuma arrived at the crease and steered the Proteas home without any further loss of wickets.
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