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- India vs South Africa Highlights, 2nd T20I 2022: India beat South Africa by 16 runs to seal the series 2-0
India vs South Africa Highlights, 2nd T20I 2022: India beat South Africa by 16 runs to seal the series 2-0
Suryakumar Yadav is up for a quick chat. Yadav says he had to keep the momentum going after the start the openers gave. Credits David Miller for the way he batted. Says when you are batting first, you need to be positive and not think about the target.
That’s it from this game. India win the series but there is still one more match to go. It’s time for the final game of the T20I series. Join us on 4th October at 7 pm IST (1.30 pm GMT) for all the action. Join us early for the build-up. Till then, cheers.
KL Rahul is the Player of the Match. He says it feels good to play two brilliant knocks. Adds he has played with this mindset and will continue the same way. Shares the chat with Rohit Sharma was about the pitch. They felt 180 will be a good score. Reckons he is surprised that the man of the match award is given to him and not Suryakumar. Says it’s hard to bat in the middle order. Tells the crowd always turns up in India.
It does. It is important as an opener to understand what is required on a day and give it your best. It is the mindset I have always played in and will continue to do the same. Satisfying to test yourself in different conditions. Quite honestly, after the first two overs, the chat between me and Rohit was that the pitch was gripping. We thought 180-185 would be a good target. But the game surprises us. I am surprised I am getting the Man of the Match award, Surya should have gotten it. He changed the game. Having batted in the middle order, I have realised that it is difficult. DK doesn't always get too many balls to face, and he was phenomenal, and so were Surya and Virat. The back foot punch off the first ball set me up. When I play both sides of the wicket, I know my balance is good. It tells me my head is stable. The crowds always turn up in India. It has been a while since cricket has been played in full stadiums. Phenomenal to see.
Player of the Match: KL Rahul (57 off 28; 4x6s, 5x4s)
[On this batting approach] It is something that all of us came together and said was what we wanted to do as a team. It might not come across at times, but we want to stick to it. What I have seen in the last 8-10 months is individuals putting their hand up and getting the job done for the team. Guys without too much experience did this as well. The team wants to play and bowl in a certain way and we want to give them that confidence. Yes, we have not bowled well at the death in the last five or six games. We are doing the same to the opposition as well. To bowl and bat at the death is very tough. That is where the game is decided. It is not concerning, but we need to pick ourselves and get our act together. I am thinking of not playing Surya anymore and playing him directly on the 23rd. This is how his game is and we just want to keep him happy.
India skipper Rohit Sharma
The presentation ceremony...
It probably wasn't our best performance with the ball. Different conditions and different plans were needed. Executing our plans is where our conversation is going to be. With 220, we were thinking that batters would be good. But 240 was too high. It shows why David Miller is one of the best T20 batters going around. He is looking good, feeling good and we can draw a lot of confidence from his performance today. Their bowlers got the ball to swing at the top and once it stopped swinging, we saw how easy it was to bat.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma
We were batting first, so it was very clear that I had to keep the tempo that was set by Rahul and Rohit and I just went and enjoyed myself. He (Miller) batted beautifully and I loved it. You just have to be planning really well when you are having the practice sessions (about second-guessing the bowlers). When you are batting first, you can't set a target and you just gotta bat as deep as possible and get as many runs as possible.
Suryakumar Yadav (61 off 22; 5x6s, 5x4s)
Quinton obviously struggled upfront but he managed to bat through and give us a chance. He is a capable batter of hitting fours and sixes, so it was just about getting in. As you saw, we were just 16 runs short. He (De Kock) walked up to me (after the game) and said 'Well played, I'm sorry'. It was a great wicket, and India put us under pressure from the start. We had to go from ball one and the freedom allowed us to express ourselves. It is raining out here and has been a bit wet (humidity). Was just taking as much water as possible.
David Miller (106* off 47; 7x6s, 8x4s)
Earlier, The Proteas won the toss but it turned out to be a bad decision. The top 4 of India were with runs but it was the stand between Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav that almost guaranteed a win for them. South Africa were just too loose with the ball. Too many freebies probably cost them the series.
South Africa were always behind the 8-ball. They were chasing more than 200 and lost two wickets in no time. Although they than showed some determination, it never felt like they were in the chase. De Kock struggled before scoring his fifty while Miller was back with runs but not enough to get a victory. He scored a brilliant century but it wasn't just enough.
The Indian seam bowlers again used the conditions well and piled pressure straightaway. Singh was again with wickets while Chahar was economical. The others were decent enough to win the series. India had runs to play with and always had the upper hand going into the chase.
A comprehensive performance overall and India win the series with ease. For South Africa, they failed with bat in the first match and the bowlers were too loose on this occasion.
