South Africa 128 for 7 (Stubbs 47*, Varun 5-17) knock India 124 for 6 (Hardik 39*, Peter 1-20, Simelane 1-20) for three wickets
Since reaching the T20 World Cup final in June, South Africa have played six matches to date and won just one. They seemed to lack a certain structure in their game, which showed glimpses of return when they put in an all-round performance on the field and kept India to 124. The fast bowlers set the tone early before the spinners tightened up and everyone except Keshav Maharaj was between the wickets. Importantly, they removed India’s top three early, and for a combined total of eight runs, and their middle order had to try and recover. A 37-run stand between Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh for the seventh wicket was the only time India’s scoring rate exceeded six per over.
Gerald Coetzee – the scout
Coetzee has been placed on a 12-week conditioning break to work on his bowling, but it appears he has paid close attention to his batting. After an 11-ball 23 at Kingsmead, with the game all but lost, Coetzee came on strong at St George’s Park. South Africa were 86 for 7 and needed 39 runs off 26 balls. He missed with a single and that was all he needed. He dispatched the next ball he faced, a full toss from Arshdeep Singh, to ease the pressure. Stubbs finished the 17th over with a stunning drive through covers that left South Africa needing 25 runs from 18 balls. Coetzee reduced it to 17 off 16 balls with consecutive boundaries from Avesh Khan, who missed the length. South Africa scored 12 runs in the 18th over and needed 13 off the last 12 balls to level the series.
Varun confuses South Africa
South Africa insist they have made progress in their batting against spin, but then someone like Varun comes along and it doesn’t seem that way. He followed up a career best in Durban with another in Gqeberha and made India’s modest total look much bigger than it was. His second ball was a slow, slow ball that Markram, struggling to keep his form, didn’t hit. Markram fought, missed and was released. The same delivery made Reeza Hendricks in the next over. Hendricks had just hit Varun for four and was fooled by the wrong bowler while bowling to turn and was bowled. Then he switched sides and was equally dangerous on the other side. In his third final, Marco Jansen had no idea what to do against the googly, but it was in the final that Varun all but ended South Africa’s hopes. Heinrich Klaasen tried to tackle him and only managed to find a long chance, and in his Next ball, Varun bowled David Miller to claim his five.
Sensational start of bowling in South Africa
Cricket has its way of humiliating humans, and that happened to Sanju Samson, who was run out on the third ball of the innings for a duck, after back-to-back hundreds in his last two matches. The delivery was impressive as Jansen managed to get to the ball and hit it, but Samson moved forward too early to have space and could have been in a better position to keep it out if he had stayed at the crease. Jansen’s first over was goalless and South Africa set the tone. Four balls later, Coetzee and umpire Lubabalo Gcume thought Abhishek Sharma had glove him down the leg side, but an immediate review proved otherwise. Coetzee had the last laugh when Abhishek edged him to Jansen with a short fine. But the powerplay moment came when Andile Simelane, who was wicketless on debut in Durban, scored on a yorker to Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to take his first international wicket. Suryakumar tried to parry it but was beaten and hit the block and didn’t even bother to review. India were 15 for 3 after four overs and recovered to 34 for 3 after the powerplay.
The wonderful capture of David Miller
Tilak Varma smashed Markram towards cover. The ball shot towards Miller, who moved to the right, reached out and took it away from Gqeberha. Tilak gaped and looked at Miller in disbelief. In the stands, the spectators’ eyes were the size of saucers. Commentators struggled to get the words out.
‘Oh my’, was the general feeling as India fell to 45 for 4. South Africa remained sharp in the field and legspinner Nqaba Peter reacted quickly when Hardik drove the ball to him at the end of his second over. Peter received a touch when the ball deflected onto the non-striker’s stumps and Axar Patel was run out.
Hardik attacks
Hardik scored 19 runs from the first 29 balls he faced and only found the boundary in the 28th over as South Africa exhausted India’s scoring opportunities. The middle overs were heavy as India scored 24 runs in five overs and bowled 35 deliveries without scoring a boundary. Finally, in the 18th over, Hardik found touch. Jansen was brought back after his first two overs cost just five runs and Hardik immediately hit them for four. Two balls later he hit a wider delivery and hit extra cover for six and then closed the over with a ramp shot off a short ball for India’s most profitable over.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa and women’s cricket correspondent
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