ICC T20 World Cup, South Africa crush India: Key takeaways
India suffered a five-wicket beating at the hands of South Africa in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. Opting to bat, Team India looked clueless against the Protea attack on offer. After being reduced to 49/5 within nine overs, India clawed their way to 133/9, riding on Suryakumar Yadav's 68. Meanwhile, SA seamer Lungi Ngidi (4/29) spitted fire. Here are the takeaways.
India yet to succeed in PP overs
Despite possessing one of the most competent opening pairs in T20Is, India have failed to rampage in the first six overs in the 2022 T20 WC. Their scores in this interval read 31/3 (vs Pakistan), 32/1 (vs Netherlands), and 33/2 (vs SA). The poor start had almost dented India's chances against Pakistan, while they changed gears post the powerplay versus the Dutch.
Kohli breaches 1,000-run mark in T20 WCs
With India in a spot of bother, all eyes turned to an in-form Virat Kohli. He clubbed two back-to-back fours off Ngidi in the seventh over but faltered a few deliveries later. His 11-ball 12 saw him race to 1,001 runs in T20 WC, averaging a phenomenal 83.41. He is only the second batter besides Mahela Jayawardene (1,016) with 1000-plus runs in T20 WC.
Rohit becomes the most capped player in T20 WCs
An extra bounce got the better of Hitman Rohit Sharma for a meager 14-ball 15. Despite that, there was a positive for the Mumbaikar from this fixture. He became the most-capped player in T20 World Cup history, with 36 appearances in his kitty. He pipped Sri Lankan legend Tillakaratne Dilshan (35), having beaten DJ Bravo and Shahid Afridi earlier (34 each).
Hooda's inclusion goes in vain
Batting all-rounder Deepak Hooda replaced Axar Patel in what was his maiden game in the T20 WC. The decision proved futile, with the right-hander registering a three-ball duck, nicking a good-length delivery to the wicket-keeper. His dismissal reduced Team India to 42/4 in 7.3 overs.
Parnell, Ngidi run down the Indian line-up
The short ball ploy did wonders for SA seamers on the wicket offered in Perth. Ngidi floored the Indian top-order, striking twice in the fifth over itself. Sometime later, he trumped Hardik Pandya to snare his second four-fer in T20I cricket. Meanwhile, left-armer Wayne Parnell made light work of India's middle-order, thereby garnering figures worth 3/15, including a maiden over to start the inning.
SKY stands tall!
SKY was Team India's saving grace after they were brought to crutches. The in-form batter whipped a 34-ball 68, hitting three fours and six maximums. Coming to bat at 26/2, SKY piloted India to 127/8. He departed on a short of a length delivery sent him back with seven balls to spare. Notably, SKY slapped a 25-ball 51* in the last outing against Netherlands.
Arshdeep has been a menace with the new ball
Arshdeep Singh's death-over antics need no mention. But his rise as a new-ball specialist in the last few months deserves an equal amount of appreciation. Arshdeep's outswinger got Quinton de Kock caught in the second slip. Meanwhile, an inswinger trapped left-handed batter Rilee Rossouw out LBW two balls later. He concluded with awe-inspiring figures of 2/25 in four overs.
Markram-Miller truncate the chase
Aiden Markram was out in the middle with SA's score reading 3/2 in 1.3 overs. Skipper Temba Bavuma departed in the sixth over, bringing in a hard-hitter in David Miller. The duo played sensibly and fetched a 76-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Pandya punched an inroad. Markram thumped a crunch 41-ball 52, with Miller rendering 59* to complete the chase (137/5).
Poor fielding proved fatal for Team India
India were sloppy on the fielding front which proved costly as the game progressed. In the ninth over, Pandya missed a shot at a direct-out which could've brought curtains to Miller's stay. Coming to the 13th over, Kohli dropped a sitter that could've uprooted Markram on 35. India missed another chance of a Miller run-out soon enough, with this time the culprit being Rohit.
SA's only second win over India in T20 WCs
SA now own a 10-13 W/L record against India in T20I cricket (NR:1). As for the T20 WCs, the Protea mustered only their second wins in six match-ups against the Men in Blue. Their maiden win came back in 2009 at Trent Bridge, where SA prevailed by 12 runs as they successfully defended a 131-run target. Spinner Johan Botha (3/16) did well.
