DELHI: South African batters David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen shone with magnificent half-centuries in their side’s record run chase to end the home side India’s undefeated streak.
South Africa pulled ahead with a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match series as the touring side defeated India by seven wickets following their record run chase.
Set to chase a mammoth 212, the Proteas were off to an unwanted start as the side lost their skipper Temba Bavuma with just 22 runs on the board.
The wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius then anchored the run chase briefly as they added 39 runs for the second wicket before Harshal Patel castled the latter on 29.
Following his dismissal, de Kock too, could not hold on for long as he perished in the ninth over after scoring 22 off 18 deliveries.
With the touring side struggling at 81/3 in the ninth over while chasing 212, Miller and van der Dussen displayed brilliance and stole the show with blistering knocks – both scoring half-centuries.
The pair recorded an unbeaten 131-run partnership for the fourth wicket and steered their side to victory comfortably in the end. Miller scored a quickfire 64 off 31, laced with four boundaries and five sixes, while van der Dussen top-scored with an unbeaten 75 off 46 balls with the help of seven boundaries and five sixes.
For India, Harshal, Axar Patel, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made one scalp each.
Batting first, India posted a huge total of 211/4 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the astonishing knock of the left-handed opener Ishan Kishan, who top-scored for the side with 76 off 48 deliveries including 11 boundaries and three sixes.
The top-order batter Shreyas Iyer and the all-rounder Hardik Pandya then also chipped in with valiant knocks – scoring 36 and 31 respectively to bolster the side to a commendable total.
For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, and Pretorius bagged one wicket each.
Following the defeat against the Proteas, India missed the world record for most consecutive T20I wins by just one match and finished levelled with Afghanistan with 12 wins.
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