South Africa Won By 05 Wickets.
2023.12.13
South Africa took a 1-0 lead in what’s effectively a two-match series with a five-wicket win over India in Gqeberha
In the rain-shortened second Twenty20 International of the three-match series, South Africa defeated India by five wickets on Monday at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, taking a 1-0 lead.
Reeza Hendricks top scored for the hosts with 49 runs as they pursued a revised goal of 152 runs. The goal had to be chased by South Africa in 15 overs because of a 30-minute rain delay prior to the chase.
Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke, the South African openers, hammered 42 runs in the first 17 balls, thus India was never able to control the scoring tempo. Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram continued to strike the ball hard even after Breetzke left because of a misunderstanding with his partner.
Before Markram was caught in the deep while attempting to knock his second six of the innings, the two scored another 54 runs in the next five overs. In the following over, Hendricks trailed his captain back into the pavilion when he was caught at short extra cover on 49 off Kuldeep Yadav.
Even though it appeared like India was regaining control, the home team cleared the boundary with seven balls remaining thanks to the contributions of David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Andile Phehlukwayo further down the order.
Prior to being called to bat, India lost both of its openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, cheaply. Though the former was out just before the conclusion of the PowerPlay, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav managed to get the team to 59.
Afterwards, Suryakumar and Rinku Singh added 70 off the following 48 balls to establish a strong foundation. Rain stopped play for the last three balls, preventing India from playing, and South Africa easily won the chase.
Final Score
India 180/7 in 19.3 overs (Rinku 68*, Suryakumar 56; Coetzee 3-32) lost to South Africa 154/5 in 13.5 overs (Hendricks 49; Mukesh 2-34) by 5 wickets (DLS)
