IND vs SA Highlights 2nd T20I: India beats South Africa by 16 runs in high-scoring match; Miller’s 46-ball century goes in vain

Axar will bowl the last over. South Africa needs 37 runs to win from six balls. Single for de Kock off the first ball as he drills one down the ground. SIX! Huge hit by Miller as he drags this from outside off over the deep midwicket boundary. SIX! Back-to-back sixes as Miller muscles this over midwicket again. Hundred for Miller off 46 balls and such a pity that it will go in vain. Single to midwicket next ball for Miller. De Kock misses the sweep. SIX! De Kock finishes it in style with a six over backward square-leg.

Arshdeep bowls his final over. Miller starts off with a single. The buzzer goes off and third front-foot no-ball for Arshdeep tonight. Free-hit coming up! Low full toss and de Kock muscles this to square leg, where Rohit spills a low catch, which is inconsequential given that it was a free hit. SIX! Full toss again and Miller hammers this one over deep midwicket for a maximum. Umpires check whether it was above the waist and decide that it was okay. Wide ball now as this is too far wide outside off. Arshdeep and Rohit are not happy as they think Miller had moved across his stumps already. FOUR! Miller cuts this one to the boundary behind point. FOUR! Low full toss again and Miller flicks this to the midwicket boundary. Full toss outside off and Miller slaps it to deep extra cover for two more. Twenty runs already in five balls. SIX! Pulled over the square-leg fence by Miller for a six to make it 26 runs from the over. Arshdeep Singh ends with 4-0-62-2.

Full toss by Harshal on the legs and de Kock flicks this behind square leg for a maximum. Slashed over covers for a single next ball. Short, Miller is too early on the pull and manages just a single down the ground. Slow and short, going across outside off and wide signalled by the umpire for height. Short and de Kock slaps this and it falls short of the long-off fielder for just one. Miller swings and misses as Chahar pitches it in the slot. Inside edge to fine-leg and Miller keeps strike with a single.

Chahar bowls out. He starts with two dot balls. Miller squeezes a single off the third. A couple for de Kock as he slices this fullish delivery outside off over covers. Another fantastic yorker and de Kock jams his bat into the ground to dig it out for a single. FOUR! Miller flicks this full delivery to the square-leg fence.

FOUR! Full and just outside off from Harshal and Miller drills this to the long-off boundary for four runs. FOUR! Slapped down the ground by Miller for another boundary. Low full toss now and Miller flicks this through square leg for two more. Nails the yorker on this occassion and Miller can only under-edge it back to the bowler. De Kock brings up his fifty off 39 balls with a single. Miller keeps strike with a single as he digs out another accurate yorker.

Axar into his third over. Width on offer outside off and de Kock slashes this to sweeper cover for a single. Miller pushes one through covers for a single next ball. SIX! Short and de Kock pulls this for a maximum over midwicket. SIX! One more maximum next ball as de Kock slog sweeps this over midwicket. FOUR! Another boundary for de Kock, who lunges forward and hammers this down the ground for four more.

Arshdeep returns. Starts with a wide outside off. Low full toss and de Kock hacks it away to square leg for a single. Driven to long-on by Miller for one more. Second front-foot no-ball for Arshdeep today. SIX! Miller makes most of the free-hit and smashes a flat six over wide long-off off a wide and full delivery outside off. Miller brings up his fifty off 25 balls with a single. Third-man is now inside the circle for de Kock, who muscles a good length ball to deep midwicket for a couple. He is unable to put a low full toss on the pads away and settles for a single and keeps strike.

Harshal continues. Dropped! de Kock chips this one in the air and Rahul fails to hold on to a catch as the ball goes away from him at mid-off. Accurate over from Harshal as he nails the yorkers he is best known for. Meanwhile, the required run rate for SA shoots over 18.

Ashwin bowls out. Two singles off the first two balls. SIX! Tossed up outside off and Miller muscles that down the ground for a maximum. Turning away outside off and called wide. Miller gets on one knee and goes for the slog sweep but fails to connect. SIX! Half-tracker and Miller gets into position in no time and pulls this over midwicket for six more. Miller is now the leading run-scorer for South Africa in T20Is, going past JP Duminy. FOUR! Pulled away again and this goes to the square leg boundary.

Harshal Patel into the attack. Rohit Sharma has walked off the field with a nose bleed. FOUR! Full on the pads and clipped by Miller to the fine-leg boundary. FOUR! Short and wide outside off and Miller stays rooted to his spot and slaps it to the long-off boundary for four runs. Slower yorker to end the over.

Ashwin bowls another tight one. Just four singles from it.

FOUR! Axar continues and de Kock finally cuts loose by reverse-sweeping to the third man boundary. Good over for South Africa, 11 from it, but still not at par with the required rate.

Ashwin to bowl his second over with both left-handers at the crease. De Kock lofts one over mid-off and it falls short of the long-off fielder. Just six runs from the over.

Axar Patel into the attack. Markram shuffles across, contorts his body and awkwardly scoops this behind for a couple. OUT! Markram is cleaned up. Axar turns this away from Markram, who looks to play the inside-out drive over covers and misses. Miller the new batter.

Arshdeep back for his second over. Markram punches the first ball straight back to the bowler. Slower ball now and Markram, off the backfoot, cuts one to point and de Kock hares for a single from the non-striker’s end. FOUR! Short and pulled away by Markram to the midwicket boundary. It is also a front-foot no-ball and free-hit coming up. SIX! Markram slaps this down the ground from wide outside off to add to Arshdeep’s agony of bowling a no-ball. Thick inside edge as Markram swipes across the line and still collects a couple behind square-leg. Single for Makram to end the over. Good stop at mid-off.

Chahar continues. De Kock gets off strike with a single at fine-leg as he gets an inside edge trying to pull a length ball on leg-stump. FOUR! Length outside off, Markram comes on the front-foot and times this beautifully through cover and point for a boundary. Pushed to long-on next ball for a single. Tight single off the last ball of the over and Markram keeps strike.

Ashwin into the attack. Single first ball for Markram. Ashwin darts it down leg for a wide ball as de Kock comes on strike. A couple of dots before de Kock drives one down the ground for a single. Another wide down leg-side, this time with Markram on strike. FOUR! Markram punches this off the backfoot for a boundary through the cover region.

Huge LBW appeal first ball but not given. Looks like Markram got an inside edge on it and Rohit doesn’t take the review. A slight delay here as one of the floodlights seems to have gone off. The players have come off the field as repair work is underway. Back for live action as the lights have come on. Outside edge for Markram and he gets a single. Wide ball down leg, Pant misses it and batters steal a single too. FOUR! Width outside off and Markram slashes it to the boundary. Absolute peach of a delivery to end the over. Chahar gets it to move away sharply and beat de Kock’s outside edge.

Arshdeep Singh from the other end. de Kock pushes this to point for scampers for a single and South Africa is off the mark after seven balls. OUT! Another duck for Bavuma as he is caught at mid-off by Kohli trying to go over the in-field. Arshdeep shapes away the first one from Rossouw and beats him outside off. OUT! Gone next ball and Rossouw also goes for a duck. He tried to pull this short one from wide outside off and ends up slicing it to mid-on, where Karthik takes it after a fumble. FOUR! Thick outside edge for de Kock and the ball runs away to the third man fence.

Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock are out to open for South Africa. Deepak Chahar with the new ball. Chahar to Bavuma first ball. Chahar slips a bit at the point of delivery and pulls out. First ball yet to come. Good length ball swinging into Bavuma and the batter misses trying to tuck it on the leg-side. Out-swinger next ball and beats Bavuma outside off. Two dots to start with. Bavuma pushes this to square leg with the inside half of the bat and is sent back by de Kock, who refuses the single. Prodigious movement away from the batter and beats Bavuma again, who looks to drive away from the body. Punched off the backfoot by Bavuma to point. Five dot balls. Shapes away again to beat Bavuma and maiden over for Chahar.

Last over coming up. Kohli is unbeaten on 49 off 28 balls. Dot ball first ball as Karthik misses this low full-toss outside off. FOUR! Slower one outside off and Karthik walks across and swings it behind square for four runs. Karthik misses this one outside off again. Too wide outside off this one and one extra for India. SIX! Karthik acing this finisher’s role. Walks across again and pulls this over midwicket despite not really middling it. SIX! Looks like Kohli won’t get his fifty but nevermind because Karthik has cleared the deep extra cover fence as he lifts this full and wide ball over the circle. Swing and a miss last ball but the batters steal a bye.

OUT! Run out and that’s probably the only way South Africa could have dismissed Suryakumar today. Kohli guides this straight to point and Suryakumar has already raced to him while Kohli is still looking at the point fielder. Karthik comes in. Full and wide outside off and Karthik drives it to long-off for a single. FOUR! Streaky boundary for Kohli. Full and wide from Nortje and Kohli gets a bit of edge and finds four behind the keeper. FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Kohli as he flicks this full and straight one to the midwicket fence.

Ngidi bowls out. FOUR! The pacers continue with the full-tosses and the batters continue punishing them. This is outside off and Kohli hacks this to the deepmidwicket fence for four. Full toss again, chest high this, and Kohli hooks to fine-leg for a couple. No-ball called and free-hit too. SIX! Suryakumar misses two consecutive balls but makes up for it as he clears the wide long-on fence off the last ball of the over.

SIX! Full-toss by Parnell outside off and Suryakumar cuts it behind point for a maximum and races to a 18-ball 50, the joint second-fastest by an Indian in T20Is. It is also called a no-ball and that wil be seven runs from the ball. Suryakumar is caught off the free-hit at deep square leg and takes a single. SIX! Kohli shifts gears now and hammers this full-toss down the ground for a maximum. FOUR! Another full-toss and Kohli whips this down the ground again, forcing the bowler and umpire to take cover. FOUR! Kohli shuffles across his stumps as this is another full-toss and flicks this for another boundary. 23 runs from the over.

Ngidi continues. Suryakumar is relentless and takes the pacer for a four and a six in the over. He first hammers a full-toss on off-stump over midwicket for a maximum before slashing a wide one past point. 50 partnership comes up and Suryakumar has scored 41 of them.

Rabada replaces Ngidi. SIX! Audacious SKY. He shuffles across his stumps and whips this off his legs for a maximum behind square. FOUR! 10 off 2 for SKY as he drills this down the ground for a one-bounce four at long-off. 1000 runs in T20Is up for Suryakumar Yadav! FOUR! This is short and Suryakumar once again shuffles across and pulls this over the keeper for four more. SIX! Full-toss and Suryakumar gets a top edge but the ball still clears backward square leg for a maximum.

Parnell is back. FOUR! Kohli ends the over in style, slapping a short and wide delivery to the wide long-off boundary. Surprisingly, he was given a short run off the previous delivery as he just failed to plant his bat over the line while scrambling for a second.

Ngidi comes back and starts with a slower delivery which Kohli pushes through mid-on for a single. FOUR! Suryakumar has just come in and already looks set here. Slow and wide outside off and Suryakumar cuts it to the third man rope. Ngidi darts a slower yorker and Suryakumar digs it out for one more. FOUR! First boundary for Kohli. This was full and wide outside off and Kohli gets a thick edge past the wicketkeeper for four runs.

Maharaj bowls out. Two singles off the first two balls as Rahul and Kohli employ the cut shot. LBW appeal as Rahul misses the sweep and given out! Rahul consults with Kohli before going upstairs for the review. Rahul will have to walk as this is hitting off-stump. Suryakumar is in and misses the first ball he faces as the ball keeps low and misses off-stump. Suryakumar is off the mark with a couple as he sweeps in front of the stumps to square leg. FOUR! Swept again by Suryakumar, this is wider outside off, and the ball races past short-fine and to the boundary.

Markram comes on to bowl. Rahul throws his bat at this full delivery but gets only a single behind point. Kohli is off the mark with a single. SIX! Rahul steps out and lofts this over long-on for a huge six and brings up his fifty off 24 balls.

Maharaj comes back for his third over. Rohit in a bit of trouble as he gets an inside edge playing off the backfoot. OUT! Gone next ball! Rohit slog sweeps this straight to the man at deep midwicket. Kohli comes in and fends one that keeps low to end the over.

FOUR! Streaky boundary but runs nevertheless. Length ball outside off and Rahul get a thick outside edge through the empty slip cordon for a boundary. SIX! This is imperious from Rahul. Slower one and Rahul goes back in the crease and hammers this over wide long-on for a maximum. Nortje is put off his line and length and bowls it wide outside leg. FOUR! Rohit drives this through the covers and a bit in the air for a boundary. FOUR! This is flicked by Rohit and just over Ngidi at short fine to make it two consecutive fours. Single to end the over and 21 runs come from it.

And we have a visitor as a snake comes onto the ground! A bit of a break in play as match officials scramble to get it removed. Maharaj continues. Five singles from the over as Maharaj stems the flow of runs here a bit.

Nortje comes into the attack. Rahul nudges this one on off-stump to third man for a single. Rohit drives off the backfoot for one more. SIX! Effortless from Rahul. Full on the legs and Rahul flicks this over square leg for six more. A bit of extra bounce this time and Rahul awkwardly rides the bounce and guides it to third-man for a single. Eleven runs from the over as India continues in cruise mode.

Maharaj into the attack to bowl the final over of the PowerPlay. Starts off with a couple of dots to Rohit. FOUR! Rohit sweeps this one to the square leg boundary and fifty up for India in 5.3 overs. Next one is going down leg and Rohit tries to paddle sweep this but misses. FOUR! Half-tracker from Maharaj and Rohit rocks back and pulls this with a flourish of his wrists to the square-leg fence.

Rabada comes back. FOUR! Half-volley on off-stump and Rohit duly punishes this with a crisp drive through covers for four runs. Low full-toss on middle and leg as Rabada attempts the yorker and Rohit flicks it through square for a couple. Sliced behind point for a single next ball. Bouncer to Rahul but the umpire calls it wide for height. Rabada is not very happy with that. FOUR! Width and room outside off and Rahul goes back and punches this through covers and ends the over with four more.

Parnell continues. SIX! On the legs and full and Rahul flicks this over deep square for a maximum. FOUR! Rahul stands and delivers, cutting this one past point. FOUR! Rohit joins the party and flicks this length ball on leg to the fine-leg boundary. 15 runs from the over.

Ngidi replaces Rabada. Half-volley first ball and Rohit drives this straight to mid-off. Good slower ball next up and Rohit flicks this to mid-on as the ball stops on Rohit. SIX! First maximum of the match. Rohit steps out as this is another slower one and lofts this over long-on for six. Almost chopped on next ball! Full and wide outside off and Rohit reaches out and gets an inside edge that almost disturbs the woodwork behind. Another full delivery and Rohit only manages a heave to mid-on. Play and miss outside off to end the over.

Parnell from the other end. He comes over the wicket to Rohit. FOUR! After two dots Rohit is off the mark with a four. Rohit tried to scoop this over fine-leg but the ball seems to have hit his glove and he will need some medical attention in the middle. He continues after a short break. Going down leg but the ball seems to have brushed Rohit’s pad on the way to the ‘keeper and that will be a dot ball. Rohit is not happy however. Another length ball on the legs and Rohit tucks it away for a single. FOUR! Lucky for Rahul! He got an inside edge that just rolled past the stumps and the keeper for a boundary.

FOUR! Rahul gets a boundary first ball of the match. It is short and wide outside off from Rabada and Rahul gets on his toes and cuts it past point. Six runs from the first over.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi.

South Africa wins the toss and elects to bowl. Lungi Ngidi replaces Tabraiz Shamsi.

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh.

South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

The last T20I in Guwahati was washed out in January 2020. In the only completed T20I played at the venue, India went down to Australia by eight wickets in October 2017.

David Miller needs 32 runs to become the leading run-scorer for South Africa in T20Is. JP Duminy leads the list currently with 1934 runs in 81 matches while Miller has 1903 runs in 102 matches.

Suryakumar Yadav needs 24 runs to complete 1000 runs in T20Is.

Wicketkeeper: Quinton de Kock

Batters: KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Virat Kohli, David Miller

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Aiden Markram (vc), Wayne Parnell

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Kagiso Rabada

Team Composition: IND 6:5 SA Credits Left: 13.0

India’s depleted pack attack will come under scrutiny in the second T20I against South Africa here on Sunday.

A back injury to Jasprit Bumrah has ruled him out of the series. More worryingly, Bumrah may not be able to recover in time for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which commences later this month.

Bumrah’s absence opens the door for his replacement, Mohammed Siraj, to make an impact. Siraj, who joined the team at training here, last played a T20I in February. Good shows in the second and third T20Is could earn Siraj a ticket to the World Cup, if indeed Bumrah is unable to make the trip.

The World Cup carrot dangles in front of Deepak Chahar and Umesh Yadav as well. While Chahar scalped two wickets in India’s victory in the first T20I at Thiruvananthapuram, Umesh sat out. There is a worry that Umesh can be wayward in the shortest format, so the team management is unlikely to pick him in the eleven here.

Mohammed Shami, on the standby list for the World Cup, misses out on the vital game as he is recuperating from COVID-19.

Left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh did his reputation a world of good with a stellar show in the first T20I. Arshdeep swung the ball prodigiously both ways to bamboozle the South African batters, and earned the ‘Player-of-the-Match’ award for his three for 32 performance. As the lone left-arm pacer in the World Cup squad, Arshdeep is all but guaranteed to feature extensively in Australia.

On the batting front, KL Rahul found some runs at Thiruvananthapuram, even if he was less than convincing. Rahul was scratchy in his unbeaten 56-ball 51, and was helped by Suryakumar Yadav’s free flowing approach at the other end. Suryakumar’s delightful unbeaten 33-ball 50 made the 107-run target wholly inadequate.

Having been bowled out for a paltry score on Wednesday, South Africa must believe that there is no way but up. The top order crumbled in the face of fine seam bowling, leaving India in cruise control for a majority of the outing.

The visitor is bound to put up a better fight in this clash.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (vc), Arshdeep Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Suryakumar Yadav.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs (wk).