IND vs SA 2024, 2nd T20I: Who won yesterday’s India vs South Africa match?
South Africa beat India by three wickets in yesterday's T20I at St George's Park, Gqeberha. With the triumph, the Proteas not only leveled the four-match series 1-1, but also ended Team India's 11-match winning streak in T20Is.
Sent into bat for the second game in a row, the Men in Blue were held to 124-6 as South Africa came up with a clinical bowling effort. In the chase, the hosts crumbled to 66-6 as leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy starred with 5-17. However, Tristan Stubbs (47* off 41) and Gerald Coetzee (19* off 9) added an unbroken 42 for the eighth wicket to lift South Africa to a hard-earned victory.
Stubbs and Coetzee joined forces after Ravi Bishnoi had cleaned up Andile Simelane (7) to reduce the Proteas to 86-7. Coetzee launched Arshdeep Singh for a huge six over long-on in the 17th over. He also slammed the first two balls of the 18th over bowled by Avesh Khan for boundaries. With 13 needed off 12, Stubbs then smacked Arshdeep for four boundaries in the penultimate over.
At the start of the innings, Arshdeep dismissed Ryan Rickelton (13), having him caught at deep backward square leg with a slower ball. Chakravarthy then spun a web around the South African batters. He cleaned up Aiden Markram (3), Reeza Hendricks (24) and Marco Jansen (7) in quick succession.
For the second game in a row, Chakravarthy dismissed the dangerous duo of Heinrich Klaasen (2) and David Miller (0), this time off consecutive deliveries. Klaasen holed out to long-off, while Miller was knocked over by one that straightened a bit. India's pacers, though, couldn't back up Chakravarthy.
India's batting stumbles in 2nd T20I
Unlike in the opening T20I in Durban, India got off to a disastrous start in Gqeberha. After two consecutive T20I tons, Sanju Samson was bowled for a duck as he tried to slog Jansen. Abhishek Sharma (4)'s poor run continued as he miscued a pull off Coetzee. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (4) was then trapped leg before by Simelane as he shuffled across the stumps.
Tilak Varma (20 off 20) perished to a superb catch at extra cover by Miller off Markram. Promoted to No. 5, Axar Patel (27 off 21) looked the most fluent of India's batters before he was unlucky to be run out at the non-striker's end. Hardik Pandya (39* off 45) then dragged the score past 120.
Who was the Player of the Match in yesterday’s India vs South Africa 2nd T20I?
Stubbs guided South Africa's chase with a composed 47*. Coetzee registered figures of 1-25 and chipped in with a crucial cameo. For India, Chakravarthy was outstanding with his five-fer, while Pandya top-scored for the team with 39*. Stubbs, though, was named the Player of the Match for his resolute knock under pressure.