Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer hugging after winning the match
Chasing a target, Kohli once again rose to the occasion and guided India to a comfortable 7 wicket victory. His class and composure made the win look effortless, leaving the crowd in awe. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was regarded as the backbone of India’s batting, making the contest truly enjoyable.
The match of India versus South Africa in the second T20I at Mohali on September 18, 2019, started with South Africa batting after India won the toss and chose to field. They put up 149 for 5 in their 20 overs, setting India a target of 150. It was a decent effort, with Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma leading the way, but India’s bowlers kept chipping away with wickets to stop them from running away with a bigger score.
South Africa sent out Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock to open. Hendricks looked to get his eye in, but he didn’t last long. He scored just 6 runs off 11 balls, hitting one four, before Deepak Chahar got him caught by Washington Sundar in the 3.5th over. That left South Africa at 31 for 1, a bit wobbly early on. De Kock, their captain and wicketkeeper, had other ideas. He came out swinging, smashing eight fours in his 52 runs off 37 balls. His fifty came off 35 balls, and he looked like he could take the game away from India with his aggressive shots.
Temba Bavuma, playing his first T20I, walked in after Hendricks and played a calm, collected knock. He and de Kock added 57 runs for the second wicket, keeping the runs flowing. Bavuma made 49 off 43 balls, with three fours and one six, picking gaps and rotating the strike well. Their partnership hit 50 runs in 40 balls, with one extra thrown in. The powerplay, covering overs 0.1 to 6, saw South Africa score 39 runs for one wicket, a steady start but not a blistering one. By the 7.5th over, they’d crossed 50 runs, looking comfortable.
Things changed when de Kock got out in the 11.2th over, caught by Virat Kohli off Navdeep Saini’s bowling, with the score at 88 for 2. That was a big moment, as de Kock was in full flow. Rassie van der Dussen came in but couldn’t get going, scoring 1 run off 2 balls before Ravindra Jadeja caught and bowled him in the 12.1st over, leaving South Africa at 90 for 3. David Miller joined Bavuma, and they nudged the score past 100 in the 13.3rd over, with just one extra at that point.
Miller scored 18 off 15 balls, hitting one six, and added 36 runs with Bavuma. But Bavuma fell just short of a fifty, caught by Jadeja off Chahar in the 17.1st over, with the score at 126 for 4. Miller didn’t stick around much longer, bowled by Hardik Pandya in the 18.1st over for 18, making it 129 for 5. Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo were left to finish things off, and they stayed not out. Pretorius made 10 off 7 balls, with one six, while Phehlukwayo scored 8 off 5 balls, also hitting a six. They scrambled 20 runs in the last two overs, pushing South Africa to 149 for 5, with 5 leg byes as extras. The run rate was a solid 7.45 per over.
India’s bowlers did a great job keeping things tight. Deepak Chahar was the star, picking up 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs, with an economy of 5.50, getting Hendricks and Bavuma. Navdeep Saini took 1 for 34 in 4 overs, economy 8.50, dismissing de Kock. Ravindra Jadeja grabbed 1 for 31 in 4 overs, economy 7.75, taking out van der Dussen. Hardik Pandya also took 1 for 31 in 4 overs, economy 7.75, bowling Miller. Washington Sundar bowled 3 overs for 19 runs, economy 6.33, without a wicket, and Krunal Pandya sent down one over for 7 runs. South Africa managed 12 fours and 4 sixes overall.
De Kock’s fiery knock and Bavuma’s steady hand gave South Africa hope, but India’s bowlers kept striking at the right times. The death overs, from 18 to 20, saw just 23 runs for two wickets, showing how India squeezed them. The fielding was sharp, with clean catches and only 5 extras, all leg byes. South Africa’s 149 for 5 at the break was a fighting total, but the pitch looked good for batting, so it felt like India had a chance.
India’s chase of 150 was a breeze, as they reached 151 for 3 in 19 overs, winning by 7 wickets with 6 balls left. Virat Kohli led from the front with an unbeaten 72, and Shikhar Dhawan chipped in with a solid 40, making the target look smaller than it was. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened for India, and Sharma came out firing. He smashed two sixes in his 12 runs off 12 balls, but Andile Phehlukwayo trapped him lbw in the 3.5th over, with the score at 33 for 1. Virat Kohli came in and looked in control from the start, joining Dhawan for a 61-run partnership for the second wicket. Dhawan played beautifully, scoring 40 off 31 balls, with four fours and one six, keeping the runs coming and taking the pressure off Kohli.
The powerplay, from overs 0.1 to 6, saw India score 47 runs for one wicket, a great platform. By the 6.4th over, they’d crossed 50 runs, with 4 extras in the mix. The second-wicket stand hit 50 runs in 41 balls, with 3 extras. Kohli was in fine touch, reaching his fifty off 40 balls, with three fours and one six at that point. Dhawan, though, fell in the 11.4th over, caught by David Miller off Tabraiz Shamsi, with India at 94 for 2.
Rishabh Pant walked in but didn’t last long, scoring 4 off 5 balls before being caught by Shamsi off Bjorn Fortuin in the 13.4th over, leaving India at 104 for 3. Shreyas Iyer came in and played a smart, unbeaten 16 off 14 balls, with two fours. He and Kohli added an unbroken 47 runs for the fourth wicket, steering India to the win. Kohli finished not out on 72 off 52 balls, with four fours and three sixes, playing a captain’s knock that mixed caution with timely aggression.
India crossed 100 runs in the 12.5th over, with 7 extras (2 leg byes, 5 wides). They hit 150 in the 18.6th over, finishing at 151 for 3, with a run rate of 7.94 per over. The team struck 10 fours and 6 sixes in total. South Africa’s bowlers couldn’t break through enough. Kagiso Rabada bowled 3 overs for 24 runs, economy 8.00, without a wicket. Anrich Nortje, on debut, gave away 27 runs in 3 overs, economy 9.00, also wicketless. Andile Phehlukwayo took 1 for 20 in 3 overs, economy 6.66, getting Sharma. Dwaine Pretorius conceded 27 runs in 3 overs, economy 9.00, with no wickets. Tabraiz Shamsi took 1 for 19 in 3 overs, economy 6.33, dismissing Dhawan. Bjorn Fortuin grabbed 1 for 32 in 4 overs, economy 8.00, removing Pant.
South Africa tried a review against Kohli in the 5.3rd over, but it was turned down on the umpire’s call. Kohli’s calm and calculated batting kept India on track, and there was never any real panic. The batting depth wasn’t even tested, as Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, and Deepak Chahar didn’t need to bat. India cruised to the win, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.