Riding on opener Quinton de Kock’s effortless 90 off 46 balls, South Africa beat India by a 51-run margin in the second T20 International here on Thursday.
Chasing 214, India were bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs. Middle-order batter Tilak Varma (62 off 34 balls) was the top-scorer for India, while wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma contributed 27 off 17 balls. Pacer Ottneil Baartman was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa with 4-24, while Marco Jansen (2-25), Lungi Ngidi (2-26) and Lutho Sipamla (2-46) claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, South Africa posted a challenging 213-4. When in full flow, De Kock is among the most attractive batters in the game, and he flaunted his special skills on a true pitch. He was mainly dealing in sixes in the middle, and the majority of his seven maximums came in the deep square leg region.
Tilak Varma after scoring his half-century on Thursday
De Kock, who recently reversed his ODI retirement and was not sure about his T20 future post the World Cup last year, is back with a renewed purpose and remains on top of his game. An innings like this, just less than a week before the IPL mini auction, will also create the buzz among the franchises, who might indulge in a bidding war for the multi-skilled cricketer.
It was a no-brainer that India decided to put South Africa in to bat after winning a rare toss. Arshdeep Singh, who had De Kock caught behind in the series opener, was at the receiving end on Thursday.
Five
No. of half-centuries for Quinton de Kock in T20Is against India — the joint-most alongside WI’s Nicholas Pooran and England’s Jos Buttler
13
No. of balls bowled by pacer Arshdeep Singh in his third over, comprising seven wides and six legal deliveries — the most by an Indian in T20Is
15
No. of sixes smashed by South Africa on Thursday, their second most in T20Is against India, behind the 16 hit at Indore in 2022
Brief scores
SA 213-4 in 20 overs (Q de Kock 90, D Ferreira 30*; V Chakravarthy 2-29) beat India 162 all out in 19.1 overs (T Varma 62; O Baartman 4-24, M Jansen 2-25, L Ngidi 2-26, Lutho Sipamla 2-46) by 51 runs
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