Dinesh Karthik 55 off 27 and Hardik Pandya 46 off 31 helped India level the five-match T20i series against South Africa. The duo worked exceptionally in tandem to help India put 169/6 in 20 overs on the board. Indian bowlers showed grit and determination to finally register an excellent performance which helped India level the T20i series against South Africa. Avesh Khan was the pick of the bowlers with his four wickets that dismantled the Proteas chase.
South Africa could only score 87 runs in reply to ultimately suffer a massive defeat by 82 runs. It was South Africa’s lowest ever team total in T20i history. Also, it is the biggest margin for a victory for India against South Africa in T20is. With this performance, the Indian team has shut down the trolls and critics who lamented India’s loss in the first couple of matches to the poor team selection.
Rishabh Pant lost the toss, and South Africa asked India to bat first in the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad registered only 5 runs in 7 balls while his opening partner Ishan Kishan scored 27 off 26. Shreyas Iyer’s bad phase in the series continued as he was able to score only 4 runs in 2 balls. The skipper Pant also failed to register a score of significance yet again. He played an uncharacteristic knock of 17 off 23.
India was reduced to 81/4 in 12.5 overs when Dinesh Karthik walked in to bat alongside Hardik Pandya. The pair started slowly but soon developed momentum and went for the big shots. Ultimately, they helped India reach 169 in 20 overs. Karthik brought up his maiden T20i half-century and became the oldest Indian batter to score a half-century in the shortest format of the game.
Karthik and Pandya’s knock gave the bowlers of team India the belief that they could level the series against South Africa. Avesh picked 4 wickets while Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed 2 batters. Axar Patel and Harshal Patel sent back one batter each to contribute to India’s victory. The final match of the series will be played in Bengaluru on 19th June 2022.
Also Read: India Bounce Back in the 3rd T20i against South Africa to stay alive in the series