by: Atif Amin Sports reporter TN media News.
South Africa pulled off their highest successful chase in T20I cricket to defeat India by 7 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in 5 matches T20I series. Unbeaten half-centuries from David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen, who shared a 131-run fourth-wicket stand, took South Africa past India’s mammoth 211. It was a boundary fest from both sides as India hit 16 fours and 14 sixes in their innings and South Africa 17 fours and 14 sixes.
Chasing 211 South Africa used the power play to perfection and scored 61 in the power play. The move to promote Dwaine Pretorious to No. 3 worked for South Africa as he scored 29 off only 13 balls to give impetus to the innings. However, when de Kock was dismissed in the 9th over with a score reading 81, 211 seemed to be far away. At halfway stage, South Africa was 86/3 and needed to score 126 runs in the final 10 overs. David Miller stepped up to the task and continued his fine form from IPL and started to score briskly. He hit Akshar Patel for 3 sixes in an over. He scored his fifty of only 22 balls and kept South Africa in the game whereas Rassie was struggling at the other end for any kind of fluency.
Rassie was dropped by Shreyas Iyer when he was 29 off 29 balls. This was the time when Rassie shifted the gears and scored 46 of the next 16 balls. With runs now flowing from both ends, there was no stopping South Africa from their carnage to victory as they completed the target with 5 balls to spare.
Earlier inserted to bat by South Africa, India would have fancied their chances after they made use of some early luck to post their highest total against South Africa – 211 for 4 – and the highest T20I total at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Their batters were particularly severe against South Africa’s two spinners. Keshav Maharaj, who opened the bowling, and Tabraiz Shamsi bowled five overs altogether and conceded 70 runs between them, with Maharaj finishing with his most expensive T20I figures of 1 for 43. For India Ishan Kishan top-scored with 78 off 48 balls.
It was a tough outing for the bowlers from both sides as Wayne Parnell’s 1/32 off his 4 overs being the most economical. For India Bhuneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel started well but had no answer to Miller and Rassie’s onslaught. David Miller was adjudged as the player of the match. The 2nd match of the 5 match series will be played in Cuttack on Sunday, June 12.
Brief Match Score:
India 211/4 (Ishan Kishan 76)
South Africa 212/3 (R van der Dussen 75*, David Miller 64)
Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets and lead 5 match series 1-0
