● South Africa fell 16 runs short of India’s 237 in the second Twenty20 International.
● In a losing cause, David Miller struck 106 not out in 47 balls.
● India won a home T20I series against South Africa for the first time.
Despite speculation about selection and injury difficulties for the T20 World Cup, India got their heads down and delivered a dominating performance in the second of a three-match T20I series against South Africa on Sunday, October 2. After scoring a record-breaking 237 for three, India held South Africa to 221 to take a 2-0 series lead.
South Africa fell 16 runs short of the target on an evening where more than 450 runs were scored, despite David Miller’s incredible 106 not out in 47 balls in a 174-run stand with Quinton de Kock.
On Sunday, India made history by clinching their first-ever T20I series triumph against South Africa at home. Rohit Sharma’s side appears to have recovered well from their Asia Cup failure, defeating defending world champions Australia 2-1 and gaining an unassailable lead over South Africa.
The build-up to the second T20I in Guwahati was dominated by Jasprit Bumrah’s injury and doubts regarding his eligibility for the T20 World Cup. Bumrah was forced out of the upcoming T20I series due to a back ailment, but India made sure the story was about their batting prowess with a spectacular exhibition of big-hitting against a full-strength South African bowling attack.
SURYAKUMAR SHINES AGAIN
India scored 237 in 20 overs, their fourth-highest T20I total and their highest against the Protease. Suryakumar Yadav, India’s highest-ranked T20I hitter demonstrated once again why he is perhaps the finest batter in the shortest format available, hitting 61 off only 22 balls.
Suryakumar demonstrated his 360-degree hitting skills by hitting 5 sixes and.5 boundaries. The Mumbai Indians hitter also reached 1000 runs in T20I cricket and marked the occasion with a match-winning performance. Once again, the star batter put on an easy performance. Suryakumar was run-out for 61 in the 19th over, but the damage was done since he had stitched a 102-run third-wicket stand with Virat Kohli.
Kohli is a game changer.
The former India skipper has reached a significant milestone by scoring 11,000 T20 runs. Kohli stayed undefeated on 49 off 28 balls, demonstrating once again that he has more than one gear and keeping Suryakumar company.
Kohli enthralled the full audience in Guwahati with some of his hallmark strokes, demonstrating once again that he is nearing peak form ahead of the T20 World Cup.
KL explains his Klass.
The greatest bonus for India on Sunday was KL Rahul, who proved naysayers incorrect about his strike rate. Since returning from injury during the Asia Cup, Rahul has been under the microscope for his failure to get going right away.
Rahul, on the other hand, was at his ruthless best on Sunday, hammering 57 off 28 balls, including 5 boundaries and 4 sixes. Rahul launched an attack on South Africa’s new-ball bowlers, but his teammate, Rohit, took his time getting going.
Rahul hit a patient 51 in the first T20I in Thiruvananthapuram when batting was more difficult than it was on Sunday. His strike rate was questioned, but it was a critical hit on a difficult pitch.
On Sunday, though, Rahul showed determination from the first delivery he was in the midst of, hitting some beautiful big ones.