3rd T20I: Indian openers, bowlers dominate, keep series alive vs SA

Harshal Patel recorded his best T20I figures, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Axar Patel were among the wickets as India (179/5) defeated South Africa (131) by 48 runs in the 3rd T20I at the

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

With the win, India have kept the five-match series alive. It now stands at 2-1, in South Africa’s favour. 

Also read: Finishing woes haunt India with series on line vs SA: What went wrong?

Patel came back with figures of 4/25 in 3.1 overs. He dismissed Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi. Chahal shook South Africa’s middle-order with Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius and Rassie van der Dussen’s wickets. The leg-spinner finished with 20/3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has had an impressive series so far, continued his miserly run. He gave away 21 runs in four overs and picked Keshav Maharaj’s wicket. 

For South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with 29 runs off 24 balls. Hendricks made 23 and Dwaine Pretorius 20. 

Also read: DRS down at Visakhapatnam briefly: India dominate play vs SA in 3rd T20I

In the first innings, openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan produced scintillating fifties to set the platform before India lost the momentum to stop at 179 for five. 

Gaiwad made 57 off 35 balls, while Kishan smashed his second fifty of the five-match series. He made a 35-ball 54. Hardik Pandya’s 31 off 21 took India close to 180 with some lusty blows in the final stages.

India skipper Rishabh Pant credited the bowlers for the win. Chahal was named the player of the match. 

Also read: 10.5 years later, Trent Boult beats Muttiah Muralitharan in unique batting feat

“The execution was spot-on from the bowlers and the batters. We were 15 runs short, but we weren’t thinking about that. Bowlers did a fantastic job for us. In India, spinners play a big role and there is pressure on them, when they come off nicely then matches like this happen. When you get a good start, it’s difficult for a new batter to come in and go big straightaway. We lost too many wickets. We’ll look to improve in the next match. We have to make sure that we finish the game with a bigger margin,” he said after the win.