David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen added 131 runs in just 64 balls for the fourth wicket to take South Africa to a remarkable seven-wicket win with five balls to spare in the first of five T20Is against India in Delhi on Thursday.
It was South Africa’s highest T20I run chase after India had earlier compiled their biggest T20I score – 211 for four – in Delhi after Temba Bavuma had won the toss and put the home team in to bat.
The remarkable nature of the victory was largely down to Van der Dussen’s two-paced innings. With Miller leading the way with some superb shots, Van der Dussen was hardly able to hit the ball off the square for most of their partnership. At one stage he had reached 30 in 32 balls, having been dropped on the long-on boundary by Shreyas Iyer.
Jokes about India wanting to keep Van der Dussen at the crease were then turned on their head after the Protea broke his bat and took another.
In a violent turn of fortune, Van der Dussen then struck Harshal Patel for three sixes and a four in four deliveries to suddenly rush to his half-century and it was him who finished off the run chase with a reverse sweep for four off Yuzvendra Chahal to reach his final score of 75 in 46 balls, including seven fours and five sixes.
Miller’s superb knock of 64 – which earned him the player of the match award – came in 31 balls, including four fours and five sixes.
At one stage the two batsmen were faced with a run chase that escalated to more than 14 runs to the over and with Van der Dussen misfiring, it was Miller that was keeping South Africa’s faint hopes alive. That all changed in the space of four balls as Van der Dussen suddenly caught fire.
The Proteas had maintained a good momentum during the power play with Dwaine Pretorius – promoted to three – cracking 29 in 13 balls.
But the Indians then reduced the flow of runs through the middle of the innings until a home victory looked the likeliest outcome. But then Miller, and afterwards Van der Dussen, changed the script in spectacular fashion.
Bavuma said afterwards "We are happy with our performance. That was a proper batting display. David carried his IPL form into the game, properly supported by Rassie. We have a lot of belief in Rassie. He takes it slowly but then takes it on at the end. He is the guy who sees us through.”
CHALLENGING TARGET
Earlier, Indian opener Ishan Kishan belted 76 in 48 balls as his team set the Proteas a challenging target. The Arun Jaitley Stadium was packed to the rafters with 41 000 wildly excited spectators as they saw their team make the most of a small ground with a lightning-fast outfield.
The South African bowlers didn’t bowl badly but it was a sobering experience for them as the slightest imperfection of line or length was punished by the Indian batsmen.
Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kishan lived dangerously to start with, not always middling the ball, but their positive approach was rewarded as they raced to 50 in the power-play.
Gaikwad was then dismissed by South Africa’s best bowler, Wayne Parnell, splicing a rearing delivery to Proteas’ skipper Temba Bavuma at midwicket after having just been missed on the square leg boundary by Dwaine Pretorius.
Kishan was joined by Shreyas Iyer and the two men cracked 80 in 40 balls in the most punishing partnership of the innings.
Both spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, received some severe punishment with Maharaj going for 20 runs off the first four balls of the 13th over before Kishan was finally dismissed, lashing an off-drive straight to Tristan Stubbs – making his Proteas’ debut – at long-off.
Skipper Rishabh Pant entered the fray to a tumultuous welcome from his home crowd and he duly delivered, hitting 29 off 16 balls.
Iyer went for a bristling 36 off 27 balls before Pant and Hardik Pandya (31* in 12 balls) featured in some frantic hitting at the death which realised 46 off 18 balls before Pant was caught on the extra-cover boundary off the first ball of the final over delivered by Anrich Nortje.
Parnell finished with 1-32 off his four overs, the most economical return of the South African bowlers.
INDIA: Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (capt), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje