South Africa levelled the T20I series 1-1 with a strong 51-run win over India in New Chandigarh. After losing the toss and being put in to bat in dewy conditions, they overcame the disadvantage thanks to a stunning 46-ball 90 from Quinton de Kock and a powerful late burst from Donovan Ferreira.
India had chosen to chase because the outfield was already wet before the start, but de Kock immediately put the bowlers under pressure. He hammered seven sixes, punishing anything too full, short or straight, and forced the Indian attack into errors. The combination of dew and pressure led to wides and full-tosses, with Arshdeep Singh bowling seven wides in one over. While Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram struggled to find rhythm, de Kock’s clean hitting kept the run rate high.
India briefly pulled things back when Jitesh Sharma ran out de Kock and Axar Patel dismissed Dewald Brevis. But Ferreira and David Miller ensured a big finish, smashing an unbeaten 53 off 23 balls. Ferreira struck Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes in an 18-run final over, taking South Africa to a formidable 213 for 4.
South Africa’s bowlers then made full use of the new ball before the dew could help India. Lungi Ngidi produced a brilliant delivery to remove Shubman Gill in the first over, and Marco Jansen removed Abhishek Sharma with a similar ball in the next. Suryakumar Yadav fell soon after, leaving India struggling at 32 for 3.
Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya tried to rebuild but lacked fluency. The only bright spot for India was Tilak Varma, who played freely for his 34-ball 62, finding boundaries through smart placement and inventive strokes. Jitesh Sharma added 27 off 17, but with too much to chase, India were bowled out for 162 in the 20th over. Ottneil Baartman’s three-wicket 19th over sealed the victory.
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