South Africa beat India by 7 wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, thanks to David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen. It was a heartbreaking setback for India, which had been on the verge of writing a global record with their string of T20 victories.
India came into the match with a 12-game winning streak and a win would have helped them achieve an incredible accomplishment, but Miller and Van der Dussen wrecked the party for them.
Chasing a gigantic target of 212, Miller and Van der Dussen hammered Indian bowlers all over the park to make a joke of a chase that had previously seemed impossible to achieve. It was the best chase in T20I cricket history for South Africa.
Miller, who had been in excellent form in the IPL,remained in the Proteas colors. On 64 off 31 balls, the southpaw stayed unblemished with 5 sixes and 4 fours. He continued to strike boundaries at regular intervals to keep the scoreboard moving at a healthy pace.
While this was not the case for Van der Dussen, who struggled to find boundaries for the bulk of his innings, the seventeenth over from Harshal Patel changed his fortunes, as he struck the winning runs for his team in the last over.
To conclude his fifty, he blasted three sixes and a four, which coincided with a significant increase in his strike rate.
He hit seven sixes and five fours in his 75-run innings off 46 balls.
South Africa began the chase with a positive approach, with Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma attempting to collect some early boundaries, but they rapidly lost their wickets in pursuit. Dwaine Pretorius, who was moved to number three in the batting order, had a significant cameo, smashing 29 runs off 13 balls to put pressure on the Indian bowlers.
The huge 131* run partnership between Miller and Van der Dussen, on the other hand, clinched the job for South Africa, who now has a 1-0 lead over the hosts.
Highlights from the first T20I between India and South Africa.
He hit seven sixes and five fours in his 75-run innings off 46 balls. Ishan Kishan hit a dazzling 76 off 48 balls before Rishabh Pant took over as captain, and Hardik Pandya’s fireworks powered India to a commanding 211 for 4.
While Kishan shined at the top, Pant (29 off 16) and Pandya (31 not out 12) ran off the rails in the slog overs, adding 46 runs to help India over 200 runs.
Kishan battled in the early stages of his innings, but he showed courage to get through the tough phase and then unleashed himself on the bowlers. Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, and Dwaine Pretorius each took a wicket for South Africa.
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