Team India suffered their first defeat in the ongoing T20 World Cup as South Africa defeated them by five wickets at Perth on Sunday (October 30).
Opting to bat first, the Men in Blue posted 133/9 in their allotted 20 overs on the back of Suryakumar Yadav’s 40-ball 68.
All the South African pacers bowled incredibly well. While Lungi Ngidi (4-29) picked four wickets, Wayne Parnell (3-15) and Anrich Nortje (1-23) shared four scalps between them. Kagiso Rabada (0-26) might have been wicketless but he also returned with an economical spell.
In reply, the Proteas lost their top three with just 24 runs on the board. Amid the pressure situation, Aiden Markram and David Miller stepped up to the played, stitching a 76-run partnership to put South Africa in the driver’s seat.
While India got rid of Markram in the 16th over for 41-ball 52, Miller held the one end firmly and stayed unbeaten on 59 off 46 balls to take South Africa over the line with two deliveries to spare.
For India, Arshdeep Singh starred with the ball, claiming a couple of wickets by conceding 25 runs in his four overs. Mohammad Shami (1-13) and Hardik Pandya (1-29) also chipped in with wicket apiece.
Cricket experts on Twitter lauded the pair of Miller and Markram for holding their nerves in a pressure chase.
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