India lost the second T20I against South Africa in the ongoing five-T20I series. This match was played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, on December 11, 2025. India won the toss and chose to bowl first in this match.

Quinton de Kock led the South African charge with 90 in 46 balls with 5 fours and 7 sixes, while Donovan Ferreira (30* in 16 balls) and David Miller (20* in 12 balls) led the Proteas to 213/4 in 20 overs.

India didn’t have the best start to the chase, as vice-captain Shubman Gill got out for a golden duck, and then captain Suryakumar Yadav got out for 5 runs. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed by Marco Jansen for 17 runs, and Axar Patel made 21 in 21 balls.

Tilak Varma made 62 in 34 balls with 2 fours and 5 sixes to his name, and along with Jitesh Sharma, who made 27 in 17 balls, kept the low hopes of an outside India win alive. However, India folded for 162 runs in the final over and lost the game by 51 runs.

A lot was expected from Hardik Pandya, but the dashing batter struggled, scoring 20 runs in 23 balls, hitting just one six. This knock was a complete contrast to his match-winning knock the other night in Cuttack.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan took notice of this and, on social media, urged the ex-India T20I captain to use his feet more when hitting big shots. He pointed out how a pitch that had less bounce and no pace made Pandya struggle, while he had stood and delivered big shots in Cuttack, where the ball bounced and came onto his bat.

“It’s amazing how the game works. Just a day ago, on a different pitch, Hardik looked solid. But on a surface that offered something for the bowlers, his stand-and-deliver style didn’t click, because when the pitch lacks pace or bounce, you’ve got to move your feet,” Pathan posted on X.  

The third T20I of the series between India and South Africa will be played in Dharamshala on December 14.