India slumped to their lowest T20I total against South Africa during the second match of the series in Gqberha today (November 10).
Trailing the four-match series 0-1, South Africa opted to bowl first and found instant success. Marco Jansen removed the previous game’s centurion, Sanju Samson, for a duck off the third ball of the innings. Samson had his stumps castled while trying to play an attacking shot. His partner Abhishek Sharma perished in the next over for four while mistiming a shot ball from Gerald Coetzee.
India landed into further trouble when Andile Simelane, bowling the fourth over, pinned their captain LBW for four, reducing the visitors to 3-15. The early collapse prompted India to promote Axar Patel up the order.
In a period of consolidation, the all-rounder tried to steady the ship with Tilak Varma, but the partnership couldn’t stretch beyond 30 as David Miller took a blinder in the inner ring to send the latter packing for a run-a-ball 20.
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Axar was perhaps the only India batter who looked in some flow during their stuttering innings but fell for a 21-ball 27 owing to an unfortunate run out. Hardik Pandya, who had a slow start, didn’t have the kind of late flourish India would have wanted.
He finished unbeaten on 39 off 45 balls, to take his team to 124-6 in the 20 overs, India’s lowest in South Africa. Their previous lowest first innings total (141-9) was way back in 2007 in Durban against Pakistan, during the 2007 T20 World Cup. That match was tied, and India won the bowl-out.
India's previous lowest total in South Africa overall was 127-4, which they scored in a successful run chase against South Africa in Johannesburg in December 2006.
For South Africa, every bowler was amongst the wickets except Keshav Maharaj, who was economical, giving away 24 runs off his four overs.
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