RSA vs IND, 3rd T20I: Following a disheartening setback at the hands of the Mighty Proteas in the second T20I, Team India will try to even the series with a win in the third T20I. The Men in Blue managed to post a total of 180 runs on the board thanks to some brilliant knocks from Rinku Singh (68 runs off 39 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (56 runs off 36 balls) and a decent innings of 29 runs by Tilak Verma, but the Rain Gods had other plans as the rain interruption quickened the slow pitch and the South Africans were asked to chase 152 runs from 15 overs.
With an aggressive approach, openers Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke went after the Indian bowlers from ball one and got The Proteas off to a flier in the first three overs, with the score reading 42-0 and 24 runs coming off Young Arshdeep Singh’s first over. Breetzke then threw his wicket away in search of a second run when there was no need for it, but his dismissal didn’t bother the South Africans much as Skipper Markram walked in to bat at no. 3 and continued the aggressive approach by smashing a hat-trick of 4’s in Mukesh Kumar’s 1st over.
The wet outfield didn’t assist the Indian bowlers either, as they struggled to grip the ball throughout the 2nd inning and paid the price for missing their line and length, and the South African batters capitalized on their mistakes by hammering the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground.
The partnership of 54 runs from 30 balls between Skipper Aiden Markram (30 runs off 17 balls) and opener Reeze Hendricks (49 runs off 27 balls) put the Proteas in a comfortable position. India tried to comeback in the game by picking up 3 wickets in 3 consecutive overs, but Tristan Stubbs (14 runs off 12 balls) and Andile Phehlukwayo (10 runs off 4 balls) kept their cool and ensured that the South Africans ended the 2nd T20i with a win and led the 3-match series 1-0. Tabraiz Shamsi won the man of the match award for his brilliant economical spell of 1/18 in 4 overs.
The 3rd and the Final T20i match between The Men in Blue and The Proteas will take place tomorrow at the DP World Wanderers Stadium of Johannesburg and the match will start at 8:30 PM IST.
IND vs SA 3rd T20I Overview
Series / Tour – India’s tour of South Africa 2023-24
Match: India vs South Africa 3rd T20i
Date: Thursday, 14th of December 2023
Venue: DP World Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Time: 8:30 pm IST
IND vs SA 2nd T20I Players to Watch Out For
Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh scored his maiden 50 and the best T20i score of his international career vs. South Africa as he smashed an unbeaten 68 runs off 39 balls in the 2nd T20i. Rinku is usually known for his role as a finisher, but in yesterday’s match vs. South Africa, he showed he is more than just a finisher. He started off his innings with a brilliant straight drive, but he started to build his innings when Suryakumar Yadav took the aggressive route, and after the skipper went back to the pavilion, Rinku went back to his aggressive approach and helped India reach a respectable total of 180 runs before the rain interruption. He is in great form and would like to continue his great form in the 3rd T20i as well. With such performances, Rinku will cement his place in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad with ease.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad was unable to participate in the previous game owing to illness, and both players,Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, were dismissed for ducks. Ruturaj scored the most runs in the five-match T20i series vs. the Aussies, and he would be hoping to recover quickly from his illness and reproduce his success in the third and final match of the T20i series against South Africa, helping the Men in Blue even the series. His return to the starting lineup would improve the team’s overall performance.
Gerald Coetzee
Gerald Coetzee was superb with the ball for South Africa in the recently concluded Odi World Cup, picking up 20 wickets from eight matches at an economy rate of 6.23, and he was good with the ball in the previous T20i vs India, as he picked up three wickets and dismissed Tilak Verma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Arshdeep Singh. The 23-year-old would be critical for the South Africans if they were to win the series in the next match.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill, regarded as the Prince of Indian Cricket, returned to the Indian team in yesterday’s match vs South Africa but failed to get going as he got dismissed for a duck and was getting troubled by the fast bowlers of South Africa. He was in decent form in the ODI World Cup and he is also the highest run scorer of the 2023 calendar year, having scored 2118 runs, which includes ten 50s and seven 100s at an average of 102.17. He would like to end the year on a high by performing well in India’s tour of South Africa, and his form would be crucial in India’s hopes of leveling the series 1-1 against South Africa.
Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar is a pretty good talent with the ball, and he has performed well in the domestic circuit of Indian cricket. He was selected for the five-match series vs. Australia, and he handled the death bowling duties pretty well. However, against South Africa in the 2nd T20i, even though he managed to pick up 2 wickets by dismissing the set Aiden Markram and the dangerous David Miller, he bowled at an economy rate of 11.3, which is quite high. He would have to bowl economically in the next match as The Men in Blue are relying on him and the experienced Mohammed Siraj to handle the pace bowling department vs. South Africa.
For more details head to ICC’s official website.