Finance
South Africa defeated Team India by four wickets in the second match of the five-match T20I series today at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
The Proteas achieved their target of 149 runs despite losing six wickets in 18.2 overs.
Despite Dinesh Karthik’s late flourish (30 not out off 21) in the second T20I, South Africa restricted India to 148/6 thanks to disciplined bowling.
Apart from Karthik, the main scorers were Shreyas Iyer (40 off 35) and Ishan Kishan (34 off 21), as most Indian batters failed to deliver against Proteas bowlers and lost wickets at regular intervals.
India got off to a bad start when opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was caught by Kagiso Rabada in the first over of the innings. Shreyas Iyer then joined Ishan Kishan in the middle, and both Indian batters struggled as Proteas pacers bowled hard lengths on a two-paced Cuttack pitch.
In the fourth over, India got a bit of a break, with Nortje bowling a couple in Ishan Kishan’s arc and he whipped them over the legside for sixes. The left-hander maintained his aggressive approach throughout the powerPlay, propelling India to 42/1 at the end.
In the next over, however, Nortje bowled a shot pitch delivery to Kishan, who was late on the pull and offered a dolly to square leg, going back to pavilion after a breezy 34 off 21.
Unlike in Delhi, where Proteas captain Temba Bavuma introduced spinners in the first over, Bavuma kept spin going for 8 overs here. Tabraiz Shamsi, a left-arm spinner, was introduced in the ninth over and went for 14 runs after Iyer hit him for a four and a six. However, Keshav Maharaj bowled outside off at an onrushing Rishabh Pant (5), who mistimed his slog to the sweeper cover fielder, leaving India at 68/3 in 9.1 overs.
From then on, it was up to Hardik Pandya and a composed Iyer to lead India forward. However, Bavuma introduced Wayne Parnell back into the attack, and the pacer bowled an angle ball that knocked Pandya’s stumps down.
Iyer quickly nicked a Dwaine Pretorius delivery, which was caught behind the wickets by Klaasen. India was still hoping for the Dinesh Karthik and Axar pair to lead their team to a competitive total. But Axar (10) couldn’t help himself, getting out to Nortje in the 17th over, leaving India at 112/6.
Kartik eventually used his finishing skills well, scoring 30 runs in the final two overs with Harshal Patel (12 not out), taking India to 148/6 in 20 overs. South Africa’s most successful bowler was Anrich Nortje (2/36) with one wicket each from Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, and Keshav Maharaj.
Source:from Web
