South Africa bowlers keep Indian batsmen under control. Hendricks and Rickelton make promising starts, but disciplined bowling from India’s spinners restrains their run flow.
Marco Jansen scores a 17-ball fifty to keep South Africa competitive, but Arshdeep Singh gets him out to seal India’s win.
India: Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli first made headlines as captain of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning team in 2008. Since then, he has striven to be more than just another big hitting batsman; instead he aspired to become an opponent-fearing cricketer capable of producing breathtaking chases without much difficulty. Working tirelessly at his game with technical assiduity reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar and fitness levels comparable to top athletes across the globe he worked tirelessly on his game and earned fame around the world for it.
Kohli produced masterful performances across all formats of cricket, and is perhaps best remembered for hitting an unforgettable six at MCG against James Anderson at ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Kohli transformed India’s batting line-up into one of the strongest teams worldwide.
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten centuries enabled India to post an impressive total of 283. Jasprit Bumrah bowled superbly against South Africa’s innings, taking three wickets and making sure they couldn’t come near to reaching their target. India then held onto their total easily thanks to impressive bowling from Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi defending it easily.
Rohit Sharma
When two of the world’s premier cricket teams come together, expect an exciting contest. India and South Africa played out one such contest this weekend that featured some unforgettable moments that will remain unforgettable memories in future years.
Jasprit Bumrah’s early wickets gave India an early edge, yet Quinton de Kock and South Africa’s middle order battled back against disciplined bowling from India’s spinners–particularly Ravindra Jadeja–along with economical efforts from their lower order kept South Africa within reach before ultimately turning out to be their undoing in an Indian victory.
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma both scored century to help India post an impressive total. Bowlers then delivered blow after blow to prevent South Africa from approaching it.
Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock led South Africa’s rapid surge with three consecutive one-day international centuries before the year changed hands, appearing rejuvenated after an initially disappointing international career start. De Kock powered from 17/1 to 101 in just six overs to lead their swift march forward.
He hit Moeen Ali for three fours and sixes to powerplay’s end, leading the side to an impressive score of 168-2 at that stage of play. Additionally, he formed an invaluable 91-run stand with David Miller before the latter was dismissed for 60 off slow left-armer Harmeet Singh’s bowling arm.
The match was tight, yet brilliant fielding helped South Africa eke out a victory. Ravindra Jadeja made headlines for his jaw-dropping diving catch at backward point; David Miller delivered an important direct-hit run-out which turned momentum back towards them at an important juncture in their favor.
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is a fast bowler for South Africa. Since his T20 debut against Australia at 19-years-old, he has become a consistent wicket-taker for Proteas cricket – becoming the youngest ever bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20I cricket.
He was the keystone of South African attack during the 2019 World Cup. Stepping in for veterans such as Dale Steyn and Morkel, his performances captured widespread admiration.
India won the third T20I by seven runs to take a 2-1 lead in their series against South Africa. Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first; Virat Kohli returned to form, scoring 76 from 59 balls; however, South Africa managed only 148 all out despite David Miller being caught off Suryakumar Yadav in the final ball for all out; this victory marked India’s 18th over South Africa out of 31 T20Is and their first win ever in Johannesburg; fans quickly gave their thanks as soon as the game concluded!
Anrich Nortje
South Africa have been greatly enhanced by his performances across all formats of cricket for South Africa – not least Test cricket where he made his debut in October 2019. As part of their home series victory over England and their T20I tri-series win against India and West Indies.
Rob Walter’s white-ball coaching plans had included Nortje in their ODI plans ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy tournament, but his injury has dealt the Proteas a devastating setback. According to Cricket South Africa (CSA), Nortje has been ruled out due to “a persistent injury”.
Early on, South Africa were on the back foot, but Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen took two wickets each to put them back into contention. Once Quinton de Kock hit an immediate seven off 11 balls and fell, Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram helped steer their side to 60/1 within 8.5 overs.
The Proteas have assembled an experienced fast bowling unit, featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and the duo of Jansen and Duanne Olivier as pace bowling specialists. Even without Nortje available on any given day, these pace trios can still cause havoc against opponents on their day.
