India completed their fourth successive T20 win in Guwahati against South Africa in a high-scoring fixture. Despite the best efforts of David Miller in the run chase, India managed to see through with a 16-run win.
India batted first and got a breathtaking start. KL Rahul was on the front foot throughout the powerplay and helped the side muster 57 runs inside six overs. The duo added 96 runs for the opening wicket before the skipper Rohit Sharma fell for a 37-ball 43. Rahul soon fell to Keshav Maharaj after a terrific 28-ball 57, which brought Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli to the middle.
Although the scoring rate was under 10 at the end of 14 overs, but Suryakumar smacked 22 runs in the 15 over off Kagiso Rabada. The onslaught continued as the side mustered 16 runs and 23 runs off the next two overs. Suryakumar Yadav scored the third fastest fifty by an Indian cricketer, off just 18 balls, before a mixup between him and Kohli saw him walkback for a stunning 22-ball 61.
Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik helped the side garner 28 runs in the final two overs as they finished with 237 runs in 20 overs. Kohli remained unbeaten on a 28-ball 49.
South Africa got off to a poor start with the bat, losing Temba Bavuma for a seven-ball duck. Soon, Rilee Rossouw departed without scoring a run as well, reducing the side to nine men inside 10 deliveries. They could score just over 40 runs in six overs and lost Aiden Markram in the seventh over.
David Miller joined Quinton de Kock in the middle, who upped the ante after the 10th over. Miller took on all the bowlers and began with a 19-run over against Ravichandran Ashwin. Both batters completed their fifties and Miller kept racing towards a century.
However, despite the batters’ best efforts, the required rate was way over the mark. David Miller scored his second T20I century in just 46 deliveries, including eight fours and seven sixes. The duo of De Kock and Miller added a whopping 174 runs for the fourth wicket but the team fell 16 runs short of the target.
Brief Scores
India: 237/3 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 57, Suryakumar Yadav 61, Virat Kohli 49*)
South Africa: 221/3 in 20 overs (David Miller 106*, Quinton de Kock 69*)
India won by 16 runs
Player of the match: KL Rahul
