The first match of the three-T20I series between India and South Africa was played on Wednesday inThiruvananthpuran in Kerela, which hosted an international match after four years. India was coming off a 2-1 T20I series win over Australia.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field first. His bowlers Deepak Chahar (2/24) and Arshdeep Singh (3/32) gave India the perfect start reducing Proteas to 9/5 in first 3 overs. But 41 from Keshav Maharaj took them to 106/8 in 20 overs.
Though India lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav added 93* runs for the third wicket, while scoring 51* and 50* respectively as India romped home for the win with 8 wickets to spare.
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The win marks India's 16th consecutive T20I victory in run chases at home and it bodes well for the Men in Blue who won the match on a difficult surface that was hard to bat on.
After the match, the BCCI shared a video of India captain Rohit Sharma going to the crowd and obliging the hoard of young fans with autographs.
The BCCI shared the video on their Twitter account with caption: Just a little something for the fans here in Thiruvananthapuram, courtesy Captain Rohit Sharma."
The second T20I will take place at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium on October 2, 2022, and the final match will happen in Indore on October 4th.
Then the two sides will battle in three ODIs as well which will be played on October 6,9 and 11.
(India Today inputs)
