Reeza Hendricks starred with the bat as South Africa beat India by 5 wickets via DLS in IND vs SA 2nd T20I at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday (December 12). Hendricks played a whirlwind 27-ball 49 knock as he set the perfect tone for a convincing win in a rain-marred game.
After opting to field, the hosts got off to a perfect start after they got rid of both Indian openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill on a twin duck. However, skipper Suryakumar Yadav (56 off 36 balls) along with Tilak Varma (29 off 20 balls) led India’s fightback as the duo put on a quickfire 24-ball 49 runs partnership to put India back on track.
After Tilak and Suryakumar’s departure, Rinku Singh took the centre stage and scored an unbeaten 68 off 39. India were 180/7 in 19.3 and were looking for a strong finish before rain halted the game.
After a brief rain spell, the hosts were given the task of chasing a revised target of 152 in 15 overs. While it looked like an uphill task at the start, openers Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke (16 off 7) made a mockery of the Indian pace attack.
The Proteas duo went hammer and tongs against Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, smashing the pace duo for 14 and 24 runs, respectively in the first two overs.
However, the hosts were put under pressure for a brief moment when they lost three wickets in quick succession including that of Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen. But Tristian Stubbs stayed calm and guided the team to a 5-wicket win, with 7 balls to spare.
With this win, South Africa have taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Earlier, The first T20I was washed out due to rain in Centurion.
Both teams will now travel to Johannesburg for the series decider on Thursday, December 14.
