South Africa outplayed India in the second T20I at Cuttack.
Asked to bat first, the hosts posted a modest 148/6 on the board. It was a disappointing show with the bat as no one managed to play a big knock after getting starts. Shreyas Iyer was the top scorer with 35-ball 40 while Ishan Kishan (34 off 21 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (30* off 21 balls) chipped in with thirties.
For South Africa, speedster Kagiso Rabada was the stand-out bowler, claiming 1 for 15 in his four overs. Wayne Parnell also returned with impressive figures of 1 for 23 in his four overs whereas Anrich Nortje took a couple of scalps by conceding 36 runs.
In reply, the visitors got off to a terrible start, losing three wickets for just 29 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaked havoc with the new ball, dismissing all three batters in Reeza Hendricks (4), Dwaine Pretorius (4) and Rassie van de Dussen (1).
Amid the pressure situation, skipper Temba Bavuma added 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Heinrich Klaasen, who was the main aggressor in the partnership. Yuzvendra Chahal broke the stand by removing Bavuma on 35, but Klaasen held the one end firmly.
The Proteas wicketkeeper notched up his fifty off 32 balls and then went started dealing in boundaries. Klaasen forged a 51-run stand with David Miller to put the tourists on the brink of victory before getting out on 81 off 46 balls, including 7 fours and 5 sixes. After his dismissal, Miller (20* off 15 balls) completed the formalities and took South Africa over the line with 10 balls to spare.
Bhuvneshwar finished with the figures of 4 for 13 in his four overs but it went in complete vain as other Indian bowlers failed to step up to the plate.
Cricket experts lauded the South African team for their dominant display and reserved special praise for Heinrich Klaasen.
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