Team India on Tuesday suffered a 5-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa in a rain-curtailed affair in Gqeberha. Set a revised target of 152 in 15 overs due to rain, South Africa rocketed to 67 for one in five overs and eventually cantered to win in 13.5 overs.
India posted 180 for seven after being put into bat, riding on Rinku Singh’s maiden half-century while skipper Suryakumar Yadav (56 off 36) played in his inimitable way before the rain showed up. The knocks came after India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for ducks before the skipper led from the front, forging fine partnerships with Tilak Varma and then Rinku.
In reply, the hosts punished a pedestrian-looking Indian bowling attack to pieces. Both Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh were taken to the cleaners upfront. Reeza Hendricks and skipper Aiden Markram made substantial contributions as South Africa reached home in 13.5 overs, scoring 154 for 5.
Speaking after the game, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said the South African batted brilliantly in the powerplay and took the game away from the hosts.
“At the halfway stage, I thought it was a par score but they batted beautifully in the first 5-6 overs and took the game away from us. 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 a good learning for us.
Looking forward to the third T20I,” Suryakumar said in the post-match presentation.
On the other hand, an elated South African skipper, Aiden Markram, praised Reeza Hendricks who top-scored with a 27-ball 49, including 8 boundaries and a six.
“He has been fantastic, super happy for him, he has adopted a bit of leadership role with the batting. Another brilliant knock from him tonight. You gotta pick form players going into the World Cup. There might still be a couple of places up for grabs. Every player is working hard and giving his best. The healthy competition means a lot for us,” Markram told the broadcasters.
The third and final T20 will be played in Johannesburg on Thursday. The first T20 in Durban was washed out.
