David Miller walked to the crease at 20-3 after four overs and crafted a magnificent 63 from just 35 balls to help South Africa post a highly competitive total of 187-7 after choosing to bat first in their T20 World Cup Super Eight match against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening.
Miller added 97 for the fourth wicket with Dewald Brevis whose 45 came from 29 balls and included a trio of fours and sixes building on his reputation for important innings in the most important matches while Tristan Stubbs did likewise with a potentially crucial 44* from just 24 balls with three sixes and a four.
Quinton de Kock (6) was bowled by a beauty from Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-15-3) and captain Aiden Markram (4) miscued a drive against Arshdeep Singh (4-0-28-2) to mid off before Ryan Rickelton (7) was baffled by a Bumrah slower ball which lobbed off a leading edge to Shivam Dube at mid off.
But Miller was at his sublime best with a series of powerful cuts and drives and some deft touches including late cuts between the ‘keeper and short third man.
South Africa took control of the innings in the middle overs, usually the ‘quiet’ period, assisted by two costly Indian errors. Miller pulled legspinner Varun Chakravarthy for six and Brevis added a second with his trademark ‘no look’ straight drive in the ninth over.
Hardik Panya conceded just four singles from 10th – except the final delivery was no-ball which Miller pulled for six to take 11 from an over which should have cost just four. Brevis pulled part-time seamer Shivam Dube (2-0-32-1) for further maximums in the 11th over and 13th overs and the bowler inexplicably over-stepped two balls later – Miller slashed the second free-hit for another six over cover.
Brevis holed out to deep midwicket against Dube in the same over and Miller, having collected seven fours and three sixes, toe-ended a drive against Chakravarthy (1-47) to Tilak Varma at long off.
But India fought back superbly in the closing overs with Marco Jansen (2) pulling Arshdeep to Rinku Singh at mid wicket and Corbin Bosch (5) toe-ending a Bumrah yorker straight back to the bowler.
Stubbs initially battled to provide some order and discipline in the closing stages but cut loose in dazzling style in the final over from Pandya (0-45) with a swept four and two sixes driven over long on and pulled over midwicket.
Both teams enjoyed a perfect record in the group stages with four wins from four games and were the finalists in the last T20 WC final in Barbados two years ago with India prevailing by seven-runs.
South Africa made four changes from the XI which beat the UAE in their final group match with Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi all returning having been rested for George Linde, Jason Smith, Anrich Nortje and Kwena Maphaka.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wkt), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
INDIA: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wkt), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Bube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.