On Tuesday at Barabati Stadium, India and South Africa faced off in the first of a five-match T20 series. Team India claimed a resounding victory, winning by a margin of 101 runs. This T20 series is a pivotal step in preparing for the T20 World Cup set to commence in two months. In this thrilling match, South Africa's captain Aiden Markram opted to field after winning the toss.
India set a competitive target of 176 runs, thanks to Hardik Pandya's unbeaten 59. However, South Africa's response faltered, and they crumbled at 74 in just the 13th over.
This was South Africa's innings.
Chasing 176, South Africa encountered early setbacks. In just the second ball of the opening over, Arshdeep Singh dismissed Quinton de Kock without scoring. Following this, Arshdeep scalped Stubbs for just 14 in the third over. In the sixth over, Axar Patel captured the key wicket of captain Aiden Markram, who also scored 14. Hardik Pandya further tightened the screws in the seventh, taking out Miller with his very first delivery, dealing South Africa their fourth blow under 50 runs. Varun's impact emerged in the 8th over as he took down the fifth wicket.
Continuing the momentum, Varun bowled out Jansen in the 10th over, marking South Africa's sixth dismissal. Jansen had scored 12 runs. Bumrah contributed by removing Brevis in the 11th, reaching his 100th T20 career wicket. Bumrah's over also claimed Keshav Maharaj's wicket. Axar struck again in the 12th, causing South Africa's ninth loss. Shivam Dube wrapped it up in the following over, concluding their innings for 74.
Bowling Performance Highlight
Of India's bowlers, Arshdeep delivered a stellar spell, taking 2 wickets for 14 runs in 2 overs. Bumrah's 3-over stint saw him capture 2 wickets for just 17 runs. Varun finished with 2 wickets while conceding 19 runs over 3 overs. Axar claimed two wickets as well, with Hardik and Shivam sharing one wicket apiece.
A Snapshot of India's Innings
India's start wasn't ideal, as opener Shubman Gill fell for a mere 4 runs to Lungi Ngidi in the very first over. Shortly after, captain Suryakumar Yadav returned to the pavilion with 11 to his name, trapped by Ngidi again. By the end of the 6th over, India was positioned at 40-2. The third loss came in the 7th over, with Abhishek Sharma departing after 17 runs. A promising partnership emerged between Tilak Varma and Axar Patel, however, it was cut short when Varma fell at 26 in the 12th over. Axar followed in the 14th over, sent back for 23 runs.
Hardik Pandya joined forces with Shivam Dube, forging a crucial 33-run partnership in 19 deliveries. Shivam exited, adding 11 runs, in the 18th over. Hardik's firepower shone through as he reached his fifty in just 25 balls. He finished unbeaten with 59 runs off 28 balls, steering India to set a formidable 176-run target for South Africa.
India's Playing XI for the First T20:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
South Africa's Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Insights on India's Playing XI
Post toss, skipper Suryakumar Yadav remarked on the challenges of selecting the playing XI with the T20 World Cup in perspective. Notably, Sanju Samson missed a spot in the squad, similarly, Kuldeep and Harshit Rana were not included in this lineup.
