NEW DELHI: South Africa bounced back to level the four-match T20I series 1-1, chasing down a modest target of 125 with three wickets to spare at St George’s Park on Sunday. Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant five-wicket haul couldn’t prevent India’s loss, as Tristan Stubbs powered the Proteas to victory with a composed 47 not out, sealing the win in 19 overs at 128/7.
After being sent in to bat, India faced early setbacks, with Sanju Samson dismissed for a duck and both Abhishek Sharma (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (4) following suit. By the fourth over, India was reeling at 15/3. Brief recoveries from Axar Patel (27) and Tilak Varma (20) stabilized the innings slightly, but frequent dismissals prevented any real momentum. Hardik Pandya’s late 39* offered some hope, but India’s total of 124/6 fell short of a competitive target.
In their chase, South Africa also stumbled early, with Arshdeep Singh removing Ryan Rickelton (13) and Chakravarthy taking down Aiden Markram (3) and Reeza Hendricks (24). Chakravarthy’s exceptional spell, ending at 5/17, kept India in contention. However, Stubbs held firm, supported by Gerald Coetzee’s valuable 19*, guiding South Africa to the target despite a mid-innings wobble.
The Proteas’ thrilling win leaves the series wide open, setting up an exciting battle in the remaining two games.
