CHENNAI: Shubman Gill? A first ball duck. Abhishek Sharma nicked one behind after an 8-ball 17 in a chase of 214. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who pushed himself down to No 4 from his usual No 3 spot, too did not last long. He was caught behind after just four balls, continuing what has been a prolonged lean patch for him in international cricket.
Earlier in the day, Arshdeep Singh had gone for 54 runs in four overs, including a 13-ball over where he bowled a record seven wides (most in T20Is). It had been a forgettable day for the hosts and even more for the three Punjab lads who were sort of having a homecoming at the New PCA Stadium. It was, after all, the first time the New Chandigarh venue was hosting a men's T20I.
How did it they get here? Quinton de Kock had played a blinder of an innings (90 from 46 balls) and Donovan Ferreira (30 n.o from 16 balls) provided the finishing touches that took South Africa to 213/4 in 20 overs. It was the first time Jasprit Bumrah was hit for four sixes in his T20I career.
So when Yadav fell, it seemed like things were once again down to the middle-order that has been carrying the team in recent times — Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. Varma joined Axar in the middle and instantly took the attack to the bowlers. Lutho Sipamla was hit for a four and six before Ferreira faced the burnt. They lifted the run-rate from 8 RPO to 9.28 in three overs but Axar fell. Tilak, joined by Cuttack hero Hardik, once again kept things going. They tried hit at least one six an over, but the required run-rate kept climbing and it caught up with Pandya.
It was a chance for Tilak and Jitesh Sharma to prove their mettle, even more so for the latter whose place in the XI is a constant debate. For a while, it seemed like they could as well with Jitesh hitting two sixes off Sipamla after Tilak's boundaries off Ottneil Baartman. However, it was a mountain too steep to climb. Jitesh fell and soon Shivam Dube walked back. And that was the last straw.
For a while now, Tilak, Hardik and Abhishek have masked the failures of the rest, especially Yadav and Gill. Abhishek has been a revelation at the top, winning matches on his own. Tilak won them the Asia Cup final and Hardik won them the match in Cuttack after coming out to bat in a dire situation. However, it is impossible for them to come out and play the rescue act every single time as India would have learnt during the 51-run defeat they suffered. It was after all only their second home T20I loss in 15 games since December 2023. The sooner they, especially Yadav and Gill, get their act together, the better it is for India. They have only eight more games to go before the T20 World Cup begins.
Brief scores: South Africa 213/4 in 20 ovs (De Kock 90, Ferreira 30 n.o; Varun 2/29) bt India 162 all out in 19.1 ovs (Tilak 62; Baartman 4/24).