Gqeberha: India will take the field at the St George's Park on Sunday with the aim of consolidating their lead in the four-match T20I series against South Africa, having already clinched a confident victory in the first match by 61 runs.
Key performances from Sanju Samson, who scored a record back-to-back century, and spinner duo Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, who shared six wickets between them, have set the tone for India’s pursuit of a series win.
In the last match, Samson’s century was supported by Tilak Varma’s composed 33, setting up a challenging target of 203 runs for South Africa. However, the Indian middle order suffered a setback, with a collapse that saw six wickets fall for a mere 36 runs.
This area remains a focus for captain Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, as they aim to solidify the batting line-up to avoid similar collapses. Abhishek Sharma’s continued struggles with the bat add to the challenges, as he has yet to make a significant impact in the series.
India’s bowling has been effective, with Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan also contributing key spells alongside Chakravarthy and Bishnoi. South Africa’s bowling, led by Gerald Coetzee, showed some resilience by conceding only 78 runs in the last eight overs, though they ultimately fell short of stopping the Indian batsmen.
In their chase, South Africa’s batsmen struggled, none scoring more than 25 runs, and they fell well short of the target. To level the series, South Africa will need improved performances from senior players like Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Heinrich Klaasen.
With both teams prepared for the upcoming clash, fans can anticipate a high-stakes encounter as India seeks a 2-0 lead and South Africa fights to stay in the series.
Teams
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (C), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (3rd and 4th T20Is), Tristan Stubbs.
