India lost the first game of the three-match T20I series to South Africa by seven wickets. Batting first in the series opener in Dharamsala, Rohit Sharma powered India to 199 with a whirlwind 106 to set up the match. His 138-run partnership with Virat Kohli had batted India to a position of strength. However, with the middle-order batsmen failing to make substantial contributions India couldn’t cross the 200-run mark after the platform was set by the second-wicket partnership.
Chasing the competitive total, the visitors lost their way in the middle after a 77-run opening stand between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, but JP Duminy (68*) took the team to the finish line. His 105-run unbroken stand with Farhaan Behardien won the cliffhanger for the Proteas to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Rohit got India off to a good start after being asked to bat in the tour opener. The stylish opener got off the mark with boundary over point and there was no looking back thereafter. He creamed Kagiso Rabada through the covers in the next and sent Marchant de Lang racing to the fence in the following over. There was minor blip as his opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan was run out while responding to Rohit’s call for a second run. However, undeterred the right-hand batsman took on the SA attack with Kohli at the other end.
Rohit was the aggressor of the two as India posted 86 for one at the half way mark. The Indian batsmen then dealt in sixes as they looked to build on the platform that they had built. Brought back into the attack, Tahir was hit for three sixes in an over. While Rohit sent him sailing into the stands, Kohli hit the spinner for six in the deep mid-wicket region to take his T20I runs tally to 1000 and followed it up with another. In the next over the opener clobbered Rabada for two more hits beyond the ropes as they collected 21 off the over.
Looking to accelerate further in the last quarter of the game, Kohli departed pulling Abbott on the leg side and was caught by Duminy. Two balls later, Rohit departed hitting the bowler to Morris in front of fine-leg.
At 162 for three with four overs left, MS Dhoni joined Suresh Raina in the middle. As they looked to take on SA, the left-hand batsman survived after hitting a six as Rabada failed to latch on to the return hit in the follow through. An over later, he was trapped lbw by Morris.
With ball coming on to the bat well, de Villiers set SA’s chase on course with Amla. The openers milked the Indian pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sreenath Arvind and Mohit Sharma to get their team off to a good start. The Indian bowlers struggled to create a breakthrough.
With SA on 67 from seven overs, Dhoni introduced spinners into the attack. However, India got there first breakthrough in the form of a run out as Mohit- R Ashwin pair found Amla short of his crease while the openers looked to sneak in a single.
At 77 for one, Faf du Plessis joined de Villiers in taking the chase forward. The pair continued to run hard between the wickets as India looked to create chances. The opener drove through mid-wicket to reach his half-century but was bowled by the off-spinner off the next ball. JP Duminy then joined his skipper in the middle and was tested by Ashwin off the first ball he faced.
In the following over du Plessis played on a delivery from Arvind that stayed low leaving the team 95 for three. Arvind’s maiden T20I wicket tipped the balance back in India’s favour.
As the required run rate climbed up, India looked to press the advantage while Behardien and Duminy looked to rebuild the innings. Dhoni bowled his spin from one end and pace from the other as India looked to control the match. After getting the measure of the situation the SA batsmen looked to counter attack. Duminy slammed Patel for three sixes to pick 22 of the 16th over.
With SA requiring 24 off 12 balls the match headed for a close finish as the Indian bowlers hit the deck hard in an effort to end the flourishing stand. With a four off Bhuvneshwar towards long-on Duminy reached his fifty off the first ball off the penultimate over and followed up with a six over deep mid-wicket.
With debutant, Arvind bowling the last over, Behardien handed the struck to Duminy with a single of the first ball. The pair ran hard between the wickets and Duminy leveled scores with a six over mid-wicket and then took a single to overhaul the target.
Man of the Match: JP Duminy for his unbeaten 68 off 34 balls to take SA to victory.
