A pulsating match in Ahmedabad secured a comfortable T20I series win for India as the visitors’ chase gradually disappeared in the second half.
The Proteas opted to field first, but that decision would soon be one to reconsider. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma started at a canter, and although Lungi Ngidi bowled tightly, Marco Jansen and Ottneil Baartman both went for the win.
Corbin Bosch eventually made a breakthrough when Abhishek made a mistake, but that was only a temporary consolation. Tilak Varma came in and smashed four boundaries in his first ten deliveries. But the introduction of George Linde gave SA a new impetus as he viciously turned one around to sack Samson.
Bosch got his second when out-of-form Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav crashed cheaply again. But that was that for the Proteas bowlers.
Hardik Pandya delivered a masterclass with big strokes as he notched a clinical 16-ball 50. And Tilak also kept the ball rolling and reached his milestone in 30 deliveries.
Although they only managed to turn things around in the final, serious damage was already done. And it would require some serious chasing to boot.
But at halftime the match was far from over. Quinton de Kock went out happily as usual, while Reeza Hendricks sat back and gave the southpaw the lion’s share of the strike during the Powerplay.
SA remained on par with India’s total for the first 8 overs but Hendricks delivered an easy catch at short midwicket to provide the first opening for the hosts.
It wasn’t until after the break that things started to escalate dramatically. Dewald Brevis put the pedal to the metal, but Jasprit Bumrah took a sharp catch-and-bowl to dismiss De Kock. And if Hardik Pandya let Brevis hole to deep midwicket, the floodgates would open.
Varun Chakaravarthy was the star of the show for India as he took a total of four wickets. Two wickets in two deliveries in the 13th over seriously derailed the chase, and the Proteas were unable to recover after that.
George Linde and Marco Jansen hit a couple of big hits to keep things interesting, but both of their dismissals happened shortly afterwards. From then on it was just a formality as India cruised to an emphatic victory.
All things considered, India have shown that they have all the ingredients to add to their ICC trophy cabinet, while the Proteas are still left with a few points to think about despite a handful of moments of brilliance.
IND 231/5 in 20 overs (Tilak 72*, Hardik 63 – Bosch 3-0-44-2)
SA 201/8 in 20 overs (de Kock 65, Brevis 31 – Chakaravarthy 4-0-53-4, Bumrah 4-0-17-2)
#India #seal #series #reach #Proteas #Cricket #Fanatics #Magazine