India and South Africa have an enthralling cricketing rivalry that often creates thrilling cricket matches filled with unforgettable memories.
Kohli marks an excellent beginning to India’s innings as he smashes three FOURs off Marco Jansen. The Indian captain looks to extend his impressive track record against South African Proteas.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (wk), Axar Patel
After winning the toss, India elected to bowl first and soon started losing wickets regularly before South Africa started their counterattack under Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen’s ferocious attack – Chakaravarthy bore the brunt of Klaasen’s bat as Klaasen hit him for three sixes and one four, causing an economy rate crash as his score steadily fell away.
After dropping several early wickets, India managed to climb back into contention by reaching 198/7 after 23 overs. Hardik Pandya made an influential 39 off 45 balls as Hardik Pandya led India towards their target; however, South Africa scored on to equalise.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had an excellent opening partnership of 97 runs at the top of India’s innings despite an initially slow start, helping India post an acceptable total. Once they left, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel kept scoring runs steadily to help India post an acceptable total score.
India’s batting performance was flawless throughout. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma took charge of India’s middle order, forming a powerful 107-run partnership for the second wicket to help India stay in contention for victory.
Varma was eventually caught at mid-off by Heinrich Klaasen after an exceptional 51 off 25 balls; but Jansen’s 17-ball 54 kept the Proteas competitive until their victory was sealed in the last over of this match.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks opened for South Africa, however their innings was ultimately fruitless due to Indian bowlers.
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah eventually dismissed them, leaving their hosts struggling at 66/6 and 86/7 before Hendricks and Coetzee held firm to steer past the line for victory. Now even in terms of series scores, both sides will meet again for game three in Centurion – so follow all of the action with our live stream.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Kagiso Rabada
At SuperSport Park, South Africa looked in complete control with Quinton de Kock and captain Temba Bavuma sharing an opening stand of 108 runs – but later wickets fell to India’s disciplined bowling unit.
De Kock made an impressionful innings, square-cutting Taskin Ahmed for four runs before on-driving him for six in the fourth over. Janneman Malan contributed significantly as well, scoring 20 runs from just nine balls.
India’s spinners dominated the second half of their innings, with Axar Patel, Adil Rashid and Ishant Sharma taking three wickets each – leading to an exciting moment on the ground involving fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and de Kock appearing to engage in some form of verbal exchanges.
An unusual display of frustration by two high-profile players in a Twenty20 International match highlighted their tenuous position within their squad. South Africa have struggled for consistency in this format and Rabada is integral part of their plans – but the pressure can take its toll.
De Kock made his presence felt by smashing an unbeaten 109 off 106 balls to help guide his side to victory. He shared an unbroken 107-run partnership with Bavuma before adding another 81 with Aiden Markram to give the hosts an intimidating total they must defend.
After the top-order was devastated by the departures of AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, it fell upon the middle order to stage a comeback. De Kock excelled himself by smashing four off the first ball of the final over before being bowled by Arshdeep Singh.
Heinrich Klaasen took swift vengeance for his dismissal at India’s bowlers by hitting Chakaravarthy for three massive sixes and four fours during his counterattack against their attack – however the Proteas ultimately fell short by 12 runs despite stellar contributions from Tristan Stubbs (47 not out) and Coetzee.
India: Hardik Pandya (wk), Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah was an essential cog in India’s attack and helped them win both games of this series against South Africa, earning himself Wisden Cricketer of the Year honors for 2022. Bumrah boasts an excellent track record against them and is widely considered one of the finest fast bowlers worldwide.
Rohit Sharma had to step aside as Mumbai Indians captain before the start of this season and was not well received by some fans, resulting in him becoming Mumbai Indians captain instead. Yet, youngster kept his head high and proved himself at the ICC T20I World Cup by turning around negative fan reactions – winning three matches to turn them around! Additionally, he was named to ICC T20I Team of Decade 2011-2020.
Indian and South African Third Twenty20 International Live Score/Updates: Sanju Samson was dismissed for a duck by Marco Jansen in the first over. Abhishek Sharma then came in and shared an incredible 107-run partnership with Tilak Varma over 52 balls to reach his maiden T20I century, setting himself up well against South Africa when it comes to bat next.
Jasprit Bumrah has been outstanding for India, taking four wickets in two games to propel India to an unassailable 2-0 lead in this series. At 26 years old he is known for hitting powerful sixes and fours which help them dominate.
Bumrah is an extremely intelligent player who knows exactly how to bring out the best in his team. His pace, line and length is excellent and his fielding is truly outstanding.
Mumbai Indians all-rounder Rahul Chahar also has the ability to bowl spin, making him extremely dangerous when needed. A key member of their 2024 squad, Chahar recently announced his intentions of marrying his longtime partner this year; it will be interesting to observe their marriage manage their careers alongside their personal lives.
South Africa: Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Quinton Stubbs
Heinrich Klaasen is one of South Africa’s most destructive limited-overs batters in limited-overs cricket. An aggressive hitter and great against spin bowling, Klaasen has been one of the country’s main scorers since 2023 and boasts an outstanding strike rate as well as being an outstanding wicket-keeper with exceptional glovework skills.
The 23-year-old enjoyed an outstanding IPL season with Delhi Capitals and has continued that form into international cricket, both as a key member of their middle order and against India. With both hands adept at hitting hard shots he offers tremendous protection in defence and has an impressive record against them both.
South Africa showed tremendous resilience despite suffering a defeat at Durban. Their young talent is exciting, while Kagiso Rabada will strengthen their bowling attack. However, there remain areas for improvement within their game that could make an even stronger performance possible.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will look to improve after unimpressive performances in the second T20I, while Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram have proved themselves capable of leading their respective batting units under ideal circumstances.
Keshav Maharaj and Quinton de Kock will both be absent due to injury, which could hinder their top order from keeping up with India’s swift pacers. But their deep batting lineup provides enough opportunity for big scores as well as numerous spinners who could trouble opposition batsmen.
The Proteas will look to extend their winning run with victory in the third T20I at SuperSport Park. This match can serve as a springboard into their World Cup campaign; their formidable side features an experienced top order as well as exciting youngsters in lower middle and tail – they hope to take advantage of home ground advantage and complete a four-match series win! They boast strong bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi as well as hard-hitting batmen like David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen to support them – they still require improvement when it comes to fielding and run rate but can score big totals!
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