IND vs SA 2nd T20I: The juggernaut of Suryakumar Yadav’s India has ended. The 11-match streak has been broken as South Africa clinched a heart-stopping second T20 international at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The Proteas somehow found their way home in a chase that looked dead and buried. Varun Chakravarthy startled everyone with his magic and took a fifer. Tristan Stubbs, however, showed nerves of steel, and crafted an unbeaten 47 off 41 balls. But it was Gerald Coetzee’s fearless batting that turned what seemed like certain defeat into an unlikely victory. The hosts reached their target of 125 with an over to spare, leaving India to rue what might have been.
Major let down by Indian batters
The writing was on the wall for India from the very first over. Marco Jansen, extracting vicious bounce from the surface, removed Sanju Samson for a duck, setting the tone for what would be a devastating powerplay. The Indian top-order, in a display of misplaced aggression, crumbled to 15/3 inside four overs, with each of South Africa’s pacers claiming a scalp.
Amid the wreckage, former captain Hardik Pandya (39* off 45) and the promoted Axar Patel (27 off 21) showed how it should be done. Their partnership, built on smart cricket rather than mindless hitting, gave India a fighting chance. Axar, in particular, looked in sublime touch before a cruel run-out at the non-striker’s end cut short his promising innings. However, Hardik Pandya came under scrutiny over his consumption of several dot balls at the end. India only made 38 off the last 30 balls as Gerald Coetzee and other bowlers did superbly. As a result, India ended with 124/6 in their 20 overs.
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Pace for SA, Spin for IND as Chakaravarthy shines
Just when the match seemed to be slipping away, Varun Chakravarthy produced what could have been one of the best spells by an Indian in overseas conditions. His figures of 5/17 – joint-second-best by an Indian spinners in T20Is – had South Africa on the ropes at 86/7. The mystery spinner, mixing his googlies and traditional off-breaks to perfection, made the ball dance to his tunes on a surface that suddenly looked unplayable.
The contrast couldn’t have been starker. While India’s spinners, led by Chakravarthy and supported by Ravi Bishnoi, strangled the life out of South Africa’s middle order (6/40 in 9 overs), the pace bowlers leaked runs at an alarming rate (1/86 in 10 overs). This disparity would ultimately prove decisive.
Arshdeep, Avesh! What did you do?
South Africa’s decision to promote Marco Jansen up the order, pushing proven performers like Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller down, nearly backfired spectacularly. However, Coetzee’s arrival at 86/7 changed everything. Playing with the freedom of a man with nothing to lose, he took the attack to India’s pacers, releasing the pressure valve that Chakravarthy had so masterfully built.
On a surface where their spinners had worked magic, the pacers’ inability to defend against Stubbs and Coetzee’s onslaught proved costly. The defeat wastes not just Chakravarthy’s heroics but also raises concerns about the team’s ability to close out matches with the ball. or South Africa, while the victory keeps their momentum going, the middle-order collapse against spin remains a worry they can’t ignore. But in Stubbs, they’ve found a young star who can anchor an innings and finish games – a rare combination that bodes well for their future.
