IND vs SA: Who said what after the second T20I in New Chandigarh

South Africa beat India by 51 runs in the second IND vs SA T20I.

South Africa made a strong comeback in the T20I series as they beat India in the second T20I by 51 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. With the win, the IND vs SA series is now levelled at 1-1.

South Africa were off to a flying start with the bat, thanks to Quinton de Kock (90) going all guns blazing. Reeza Hendricks supported him but couldn’t score big as the Proteas added 38 runs for the opening stand. De Kock blazed away with a 26-ball half-century and then was racing towards his hundred but got stumped in the 90s. 

Aiden Markram (29) played a great second fiddle to him, adding 83 runs for the second wicket with the keeper-batter. In the end, Donovan Ferreira (30*) and David Miller (20*) finished the innings on a high as they posted a mammoth total of 213 for four. For India, Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets.

India struggled against the new ball with Shubman Gill bagging a golden duck and Abhishek Sharma (17) losing his wicket after a good start. The move to promote Axar Patel (21) at three also didn’t pay off as he struggled to score and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form also continued as India were left reeling at 67 for four. 

With the team struggling, Tilak Varma (62) slammed a solid half-century with Hardik Pandya (20) struggling his way to 20 to add 51 runs with Varma. Jitesh Sharma (27) tried his best but the target seemed beyond reach as India got all out for 162, losing the match by 51 runs. For South Africa, Ottneil Baartman picked four wickets.

IND vs SA: Whenever the captain calls you up, you gotta be ready – Ottneil Baartman

Ottneil Baartman talked about his performance, saying that he tried to use wobble and cross seam before adding that he is always ready to bowl when his captain needs him. Speaking to broadcasters, he said:

“The seamers let me do my thing. We knew something was on the surface and we tried to use the purchase of it. The swing bowlers did their thing, we just tried to use wobble and cross seam and went shorter than fuller. Whenever the captain calls you up, you gotta be ready to bowl.”

IND vs SA: We should have had a second plan, but we didn’t go to that – Suryakumar Yadav

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted that it was an off day for them but said that he will take learnings from the game. He also blamed himself and Shubman Gill for not scoring with the bat. He added:

“I mean, we bowled first and there was not enough we could do. We could have just come back nicely because we bowled first and then later on they realised how the lengths are important on this wicket. But yeah, it’s a learning process. Just learn and move forward. A little bit of dew as well and also if it wasn’t working, we should have had a second plan, but we didn’t go to that. 

“But it’s okay. As I said, it’s a learning process. We learned how they bowled in the second innings. We learned from that and then we try and execute in the next game. I think myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can’t rely on Abhishek all the time. The way he’s been batting, he might have an off-day. Me, Shubman and few other batters should have taken it. I think it would have been a smart chase. But then it’s okay, Shubman got out on the first ball.”

Suryakumar also talked about the move to promote Axar Patel at three, saying that he wanted him to score quick runs but the move failed. He added:

“But yeah, I should have taken that responsibility, batted a little deeper. But yeah, as I said, we learn, we try and do better in the next game to come. We just thought that in the last game, we have seen Axar bat really well in the longer format. And we wanted him to bat back the same way today as well. But unfortunately, (it didn’t work) he did bat well. But we will see what’s up for us going on in the next game.”

IND vs SA: You’re never bigger than the team, that’s really important – Aiden Markram

South Africa captain Aiden Markram was happy with the way his team performed. Speaking about the same, he explained how they chipped in each department. He added: 

“Yeah, much better tonight. Obviously we started off with a special knock from Quinny (de Kock) and some really good contributions at the end that got us to a really good total. I thought the bowlers were good in the first game and even better this evening, so they’re definitely trending in the right direction, which is great to see. 

“And naturally, from a fielding point of view, the first two games have gone wonderfully. It was good. There was something there for the bowlers when the ball was in the right area, especially when it was new and hard. And if a batter got in, as we saw with Quinny and Tilak, they could put the bowlers under pressure. So a good wicket, nice-sized field, quite fair as well.”

He added:

“Great stadium, great support here for India, and a nice game to be part of. Yeah, it’s (selection) never easy. As a player, you want three or four games on the run to build momentum. But it also has to do with how busy our summer looks now, building up towards the World Cup with SA20 and the series. Making sure we have our best available XI for the World Cup is obviously the number one priority. 

“Some guys are resting, some are rotating to give fair opportunities. Hopefully by the time SA20 is done, everyone has had good game time and we’re ready for the World Cup. Yeah, I mean, you put your hand up to do whatever job the team needs. That role needed to be filled at five. I’ve batted in the middle order in the past few years, and between the three top-order batters, I was probably best suited for that. 

“You’re never bigger than the team, that’s really important. Not just myself, but a lot of the guys live that way, and it’s a good trait to have. Yeah, look, we’ll reflect. My knock in the middle, I’d probably like to maximise those balls a bit better. But we’ll reflect and try to find a few percentages here and there. Then make sure we start fresh again tomorrow.”

IND vs SA: When I do get going, I try to make it count – Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock, who won the Player of the Match, said that he is trying to make his starts count. He also talked about his matchup with Arshdeep Singh and said:

“Yeah, tell me about it. I don’t know what’s going on, it’s just happening. I guess that’s the thing, when I do get going, I try to make it count. That’s pretty much what it is, literally. Look, I just think it’s because we play each other so many times. And we always play on good wickets, especially here back home. That’s literally what it boils down to at the end of the day. Not really. Look, the guy’s (Arshdeep Singh) got me out plenty of times, that I know for sure. 

“And it always seems to be the same way. So I think it was just a technical thing I needed to be aware of, and after that it would sort of play out naturally. That’s pretty much all it boils down to. I think the wicket was a bit slow up front, felt like it took some time to get to the bat. When we were batting, any new batsman would find it a bit harder to come in. The ball didn’t feel like it was wet; it still felt dry.

 “So it was just a matter of myself and Aiden (Markram) holding on and trying to build a partnership, because it wasn’t going to be easy for the next guy walking in. And when the Indian team batted, it went the other way. It got two-paced with a bit more pace in it, it quickened up and everything moved around at pace. When we batted, it moved around quite slowly. So that’s really the difference between the conditions in the two innings.”

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