NEW DELHI: South Africa secured a crucial victory against India in a rain-curtailed encounter at St George's Park, taking the lead in the three-game T20I series.
Chasing a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, the Proteas displayed an exceptional batting performance that left the Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav, in admiration.
"They batted beautifully in the first 5-6 overs and took the game away from us," remarked Suryakumar Yadav during a post-match presentation.
"It was the brand of cricket we were talking about, just go out and express ourselves. It was tough with the wet ball, but we would face similar situations in the future and it's good learning for us," he added.
Reeza Hendricks played a pivotal role in South Africa's successful chase, smashing 49 off 27 balls. Despite a brief stumble in the middle order, the hosts comfortably reached the target with Andile Phehlukwayo hitting the winning six.
1/10:2nd T20I: South Africa beat India, take 1-0 lead in the series
Reuters
2/10:Rapid fifties for Surya & Rinku
Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh hit rapid half-centuries for India but South Africa chased down an adjusted target to win the second Twenty20 international by five wickets.Getty Images
3/10:Revised target for South Africa
India, sent in to bat, were 180 for seven when rain ended the innings with three balls remaining in their 20 overs. After a delay of almost an hour, South Africa were set to make 152 off 15 overs.PTI
4/10:South Africa's resilient chase
Led by a hard-hit 49 off 27 balls by opening batsman Reeza Hendricks, South Africa won with seven balls to spare.AP
5/10:Favorable conditions for hosts
South African captain Aiden Markram admitted that the conditions favoured his team.Reuters
6/10:Suryakumar's heroic knock
Indian captain Suryakumar hit 56 off 36 balls and Rinku Singh was unbeaten with a career-best 68 off 39 deliveries.PTI
7/10:Early wickets for India
Suryakumar went out to bat with the total on six for two after two overs. Both openers, Yashavi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, were dismissed without scoring.Reuters
8/10:Varma &Surya's partnership
The precarious situation did not deter the captain and Tilak Varma (29) from going on the attack against some erratic bowling. They added 49 off 25 balls.Reuters
9/10:Shamsi's economical bowling
Player of the match, Tabraiz Shamsi, bowled economically for South Africa with figures of 1 for 18 in four overs.Reuters
10/10:Gerald Coetzee's late wickets
Gerald Coetzee took three for 32, taking wickets with what proved to be the last two balls of the Indian innings.ReutersHendricks' explosive innings, complemented by Tristan Stubbs' unbeaten cameo of 14 runs and Gerald Coetzee's impactful three-wicket haul, contributed to South Africa's five-wicket victory via the DLS method.
From the Indian perspective, Suryakumar and Rinku Singh showcased their batting prowess in the first inning, scoring 56 and 68 respectively. However, their total of 180/7 was not enough to secure the win.
As the series now stands at 1-0 in favour of South Africa, all eyes are on the final T20I, which is scheduled to take place at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday.
(With inputs from ANI)
