India vs South Africa highlights, 2nd T20I: Tristan Stubbs shines as South Africa beat India by 3 wickets

Abhishek Sharma scores in T20Is

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100
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14
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4
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4

Outside of the century, he has scored only 70 runs in the other eight innings.

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the second T20I of the four-match series on Sunday.

India decided to go with the same playing eleven from the first match, while South Africa made one change, bringing in Reeza Hendricks in place of Patrick Kruger.

India won the first T20I by 61 runs in Durban.

Teams:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Avesh Khan

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised a point of discussion regarding the treatment of Rinku Singh by Team India. Chopra questioned the team's strategy of placing Rinku lower in the batting order. He suggested that instead of batting at number six, the left-handed batter should have been given the opportunity to bat at number four.

Chopra believes that Rinku wasn't provided with the optimal platform to demonstrate his capabilities.

"Are we being fair to Rinku? It's a very important question. Why am I asking this question? You kept him in the team first, he is your original choice player. He was in your team against Bangladesh and before that as well. Whenever you have sent him up the order or he has got to bat in the powerplay, he has scored runs every time," Chopra remarked on his YouTube channel.

Chopra emphasized that Rinku Singh has consistently performed well when given more overs to bat. He highlighted that the left-hander has emerged as a reliable player for India in critical situations, scoring crucial runs at a commendable strike rate.

"He has scored a half-century every time. He has emerged as a crisis man. He scored those half-centuries at very good strike rates. So this was that opportunity. Why don't you send him at No. 4? What is the reason that you only send Rinku down the order, always at No. 6?," Chopra added.

Rinku, having scored 490 runs at a strike rate of 173.14 in 20 T20I innings, remains a promising prospect for India.

India will face South Africa in the second T20 international match on Sunday. South Africa will be aiming to end India's winning streak in this format.

Sanju Samson's impressive century of 107 runs off 50 balls helped India secure a significant 61-run victory in the first match of the series. India will be hoping he can replicate this performance.

Despite Samson's performance, India is seeking more consistent batting from its top-order batsmen. This is crucial to alleviate pressure on their in-form wicketkeeper-batsman.

The team management is particularly concerned about opener Abhishek Sharma's string of low scores. He has not been able to capitalize on opportunities.

Apart from a century against Zimbabwe in Harare, Sharma's recent scores have been 0, 10, 14, 16, 15, 4, and 7. This lack of consistency is a cause for concern.

India kicked off their T20I series against South Africa with a dominant 61-run victory in Durban on Friday. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian side now holds a 1-0 advantage in the four-match series.

The teams will meet again for the second T20I on Sunday at St George's Park in Gqeberha.

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh are closing in on surpassing Jasprit Bumrah’s T20I wicket record of 89 in 70 matches.

Arshdeep, known for his sharp death bowling, took a wicket in the first T20I, bringing his total to 88 wickets in 57 matches since his debut in 2022.

Most T20I Wickets for India:

Yuzvendra Chahal – 96 in 80 matches

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 90 in 87 matches

Jasprit Bumrah – 89 in 70 matches

Arshdeep Singh – 88 in 57 matches

Hardik Pandya – 87 in 106 matches

Sanju Samson is just 50 international matches old. It has taken him forever to hold on to a consistent spot in the white-ball formats.

Now, however, with two centuries in his last two T20Is - that too in contrasting conditions - Samson is finally close to raising his career prospects a notch.

Samson burst on to the scene as a teenager in the IPL a decade ago but ever since, has been parrying questions about translating his potential to performance.

"Success comes along with failure and doubt. People ask many questions and you ask yourself many questions. So, if I am getting a match like this, I think it's been worth the wait of these 9-10 years. I'm very happy with what's happening now," Samson told the broadcasters after dismantling the South African attack in Durban on Friday night.

Vikram Rathour, India's batting coach till the triumphant T20 World Cup campaign this year, attributes Samson's struggles to not getting a solid run with the Indian team.

"To be fair to him, he only got to play if someone was rested or with the second-string sides. One felt he was trying too hard to impress and outdo himself," Rathour told TOI.

As India gear up for the second T20I against South Africa in Gqeberha on Sunday, all eyes are on potential changes to the playing XI, with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi possibly making way if the team opts for only two spinners.

India lead the four-match series 1-0 following a commanding 61-run victory in the opening game in Durban, and the team's selection strategy could be tweaked based on the conditions in Gqeberha.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has suggested that Bishnoi may be the unfortunate casualty if India choose to drop one spinner, given that Axar Patel is a crucial all-rounder and Varun Chakaravarthy has become an indispensable option in recent matches.

Samson will aim to maintain his aggressive batting form, while India seeks improved performance from their top-order batsmen as they face South Africa in the second T20I on Sunday.

Although Samson's brilliant knock of 107 off 50 balls led India to a convincing 61-run win in the first match, the visitors remain worried about the inconsistent batting display from other crucial players, particularly against a South African side known for their T20 prowess.