Centurion: Wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen produced a match-winning knock as he along with captain JP Duminy helped South Africa helped level the T20I series in style with a six-wicket win at the Supersport Park on Wednesday.
Klaasen (69) and Duminy (64*) shared a match-winning 93-run partnership that helped the hosts overhaul the 189-run target set by the Indians in the first innings.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been in good form throughout the limited overs’ leg of the tour clearly didn’t have anything go his way, conceding the most number of runs in T20Is (64). Interestingly, it was February last year when he had registered his best numbers in the shortest format in a match where MS Dhoni has scored his first T20I fifty. A year has gone by and while Dhoni notched up his second fifty in T20Is, Chahal had a day to forget.
It was day when the middle-order batsmen from both the sides took centre-stage. First it was the visitors, who after winning the first T20I by 28 runs, didn’t begin well, losing out-of-form Rohit Sharma (0) to medium pacer Junior Dala in the very second over.
Shikhar Dhawan, who had struck a stylish 72 in the first match looked good for his 24 of 14 balls before being trapped in front of the wicket by Duminy. Indian captain Virat Kohli was the next to fall as he could add just one run to the total before Dala once again struck, having the right-hander caught behind by wicket-keeper Klaasen to leave India reeling at 45/3.
Suresh Raina, who was making a comeback contributed 30 runs of 24 deliveries to revive the Indian innings but his dismissal with the score being 90/4 at the 11-over mark pushed India back once again.
But a 98-run stand between Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni ensured that India posted a challenging total after a poor start with the bat. The duo scored freely, taking the fight to the Proteas as India looked good for a strong finish to their innings.
Pandey, making the most of his opportunity to bat in the middle-order struck a stylish 79 of just 48 deliveries with six fours and three sixes. Dhoni at the other end was no less as he showed glimpses of his past self, whacking the bowlers for three huge sixes en route to a powerful 52 of just 28 deliveries.
The momentum was definitely with the visitors, especially after the way they ended the proceedings in the first innings. A good start provided by Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat further made sure that the Indians made use of it, reducing the hosts to 38/2 at the end of the fifth over.
But what followed was absolute carnage as Klaasen and Duminy joined forces to hand South Africa a famous T20I win. Klaasen, especially was more aggressive out of the two, bringing back South Africa into the game in style, with some big hits.
The right-hander, who had played a similar sort of innings a while back in the ODI series looked to be at his destructive best, hitting a total of seven sixes and three fours in his 30-ball knock. Although he was dismissed courtesy an off-cutter by Unadkat in the 13th over, the damage was already done and Duminy further made sure that the hosts levelled the series to head to Cape Town for the decider.
Brief scores-
South Africa 189/4 in 18.4 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 69, JP Duminy 64; Jaydev Unadkat 2/42) beat India 188/4 (Manish Pandey 78*, MS Dhoni 52*; Junior Dala 2/28) by 6 wickets.