India 231 for 5 (Tilak 73, Hardik 63, Bosch 2-44) beat South Africa 201 for 8 (De Kock 65, Varun 4-53, Bumrah 2-17) by 30 runs
India took their series-winning streak to ten as they survived a scare when defending 231. Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis were dominant in taking South Africa to 118 for 1 in ten overs in the dew, but with a changed drier ball India took four wickets for 15 to scuttle the chase. Jasprit Bumrah was the main difference between the two sides with figures of 4-0-17-2 on a night that 432 runs were scored.Marco Jansen gave India one final scare on a breakout tour with successive sixes in the 16th over, but the fact that India could be assured of winning only after they had taken their eighth wicket underlines how difficult it is to defend totals in the night in India. Which is what makes the assault from Hardik Pandya – second-quickest T20I fifty for India – and Tilak Varma – 73 off 42 – all the more important as they turned around an innings that had begun to plateau.
Four India batters, including Hardik and Tilak, hit a boundary first ball; Hardik was the most dangerous of them all, scoring 31 off his first seven balls and ending up with 63 off 25.
Samson, Abhishek give India flying start
With Shubman Gill missing because of a foot injury, Sanju Samson served another reminder of his graceful, effortless hitting when the pace is on and the field is up. Abhishek Sharma was his usual self, charging at Lungi Ngidi first ball he faced and scoring 34 off 21. The two added 63 in 5.3 overs.
Sanju Samson made 37 in 22 balls•BCCI
South Africa crawl back
That India got off to this start without South Africa bowling poorly was a sign the pitch was good to bat on. George Linde further emphasised it with three straight overs for 19 runs. He also got Samson out bowled with one that pitched leg and hit off. Samson scored 10 off 9 outside the powerplay, which is why despite all the languid grace he is not the first-choice opener. Suryakumar Yadav’s year ended without an international half-century as Linde shut him up and Corbin Bosch lapped up the consequent wicket.
Hardik, Tilak turn the game around
Hardik, though, must have immediately made South Africa regret getting Suryakumar out. Like Abhishek and Tilak before him, he charged at a fast bowler first ball and went one better, hitting a six. He didn’t stop there. In the next over he rearranged Linde’s figures with two sixes and two fours. Not one of those balls was overpitched.
Tilak hadn’t exactly been slow before Hardik, but now India went both barrels at the bowling. The two added 105 in 7.2 overs, often managing to hit sixes without getting close to the pitch of the ball, which suggested they would need each of those extra runs when they bowled. Shivam Dube also hit a six first ball to make sure South Africa didn’t escape even when the duo got out.
Quinton de Kock gave South Africa a blazing start in the powerplay•BCCI
De Kock, Brevis threaten India
In his 100th T20I, having copped a fair few blows on the fingers when keeping, de Kock stunned the crowd in the densest stadium in the world. First he got the better of Arshdeep Singh, scoring 32 off his first two overs and correcting his match-up against him, which previously read 56 balls, 66 runs and five dismissals.
Reeza Hendricks’ ordinary career as a T20I opener continued when he gave Varun his first wicket in the seventh over, which only proved to be beneficial for South Africa. Brevis and de Kock teamed up to make Varun’s next over his joint-worst in T20Is, taking 23 off it. Hardik then got half a taste of his own medicine, which made it 42 runs in the two overs leading up to the drinks break and a ball change.
Bumrah starts a never-ending slide
Bumrah bowled the first of his three remaining overs with the drier ball, and immediately had de Kock hitting an offcutter back to him. Somehow the ball stuck in his arms, and India got some room to breathe. Hardik bowled smartly to deny Brevis a hit into the shorter straight boundaries, getting him caught at deep midwicket with a slower bouncer.
Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets in two overs to dent South Africa•BCCI
Varun’s night turned again as he had both Aiden Markram and Donovon Ferreira in successive balls. Markram had just managed the rare feat of successfully charging at Varun when he went down for a lap shot and was given lbw with an umpire’s call on impact. An identical wrong’un bowled Ferreira through the gate.
David Miller did his reputation of being just a good frontrunner no harm as he fell for 18 off 14, but India still couldn’t breathe easy. One last time, on a tour that he has been the standout player and has played every match of, Jansen got stuck into Varun, making his the costliest four-for in T20Is.
Fifty-five off the last four might have still been entertained had Bumrah not had two overs remaining. He got Jansen with a slower ball to seal the win for India.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo
