Hendricks leads SA to five-wicket victory against India

Reeza Hendricks led from the front with a brilliant 49 from just 27 balls to lead South Africa to a five-wicket victory against India in the second T20 International against South Africa at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday night.

Chasing a DLS revised target of 152 in 15 overs South Africa eased to victory after an astonishingly fast start which saw Hendricks and opening partner, Matthew Breetzke (16 from 7 balls) take 38 runs from the first two overs including 20 from Arshdeep Singh’s first.

South Africa finished on 154-5 from 13.5 overs in reply to India’s 180-7 from 19.3 overs.

Breetzke was run out in a horrible mix-up but captain Aiden Markram maintained the momentum with 30 from 17 balls until he was caught on the midwicket boundary.

Hendricks, in glorious form with eight fours and a six, drove spinner Kuldeep Yadav to extra cover seven balls later and Heinrich Klaasen (7) was caught at long on three balls after that as the Proteas slipped from 96-1 to 108-4 in 13 balls.

David Miller’s 17 from 12 balls calmed the nerves allowing Tristan Stubbs (14*) and Andile Phelukwayo (10*) to finish the job in style with seven balls to spare.

HORROR START FOR INDIA

Earlier India posted 180-7 from 19.3 overs after being asked to bat first before a rainstorm drove the players from the field for over an hour until the ground was made playable again.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav compiled an innovative and entertaining 56 from just 36 balls to help his team to a competitive total of 180-7 and Rinku Singh was in even more impressive form with an unbeaten 68 from only 39 balls (9x4, 2x6) which transformed the innings from an acceptable one to an exceptional one on a pitch offering assistance to both seamers and spinners.

The tourists recovered from a horror start with both openers dismissed without scoring but Tilak Varma (29) added 49 for the third wicket with Suryakumar to put the innings back on track and Rinku’s famed stroke-making skills ensured the pressure remained on the Proteas’ bowlers.

Yashasvi Jaiswal lashed the third ball of the innings from Marco Jansen to David Miller and Shubman Gill was trapped lbw to leave India on 6-2 after two overs, but there was nothing subdued about Suryakumar’s response as he unleashed his full array of strokes including lap and paddle-sweeps against the seamers which brought him five fours and three sixes.

All three frontline fast bowlers conceded around 10 runs per over but had the consolation of wickets with Gerald Coetzee (3.3-0-32-3) having Varma caught on the midwicket boundary before trapping Ravindra Jadeja (19) lbw and persuading Arshdeep Singh to steer a slower ball to short third in the final over before the rain arrived.

Jansen finished with 1-39 from three overs and Williams 1-32 from three.

Left arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-18-1) was outstanding and offspinner Markram (3-0-29-1) bowled two excellent overs before conceding two sixes from the final two balls of his third – Rinku launching two enormous straight drives.

The first fixture of the three-match series was washed out without a ball being bowled at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.

The final match is at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday.

SOUTH AFRICA: Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi.

INDIA: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Mukesh Kumar.