Published 23:34 IST, September 22nd 2019
India lose 3rd T20I by nine wickets as South Africa level series 1-1
India were comprehensively beaten by South Africa in the third and final T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium by nine wickets on Sunday as they leveled the series
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Skipper Quinton de Kock smashed an unbeaten 79 off 52 balls as South Africa comfortably beat India by nine wickets in the third T20 International with the series ending in a 1-1 draw. Batting first, India managed a below-par 134 for 9 on a batting-friendly Chinnaswamy track, with opener Shikhar Dhawan scoring 36 and the next best score was Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja's 19 each. While Kagiso Rabada took 3 for 39, it was left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks' 2 for 14 that tilted things for the Proteas. While batting, they had no such problems as the target was achieved in 16.5 overs as De Kock and Reeza Hendricks (28) added 76 for the opening stand.
Brief Scores: India 134/9 (Shikhar Dhawan 36, Kagiso Rabada 3/39, Beuran Hendricks 2/14). SA 140/1 in 16.5 overs(Quinton de Kock 79 no off 52 balls).
How the Indian innings lost its plot?
India was stopped at 134 for nine by a disciplined South African attack, which snuffed out eight wickets for 71 runs after initially being at the receiving end in the third T20 International at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Batting first owing to Virat Kohli's bold decision on one of the smallest grounds known to favour the chasing teams, India was cruising at 54 for one after dominating the first six Powerplay overs. The departure of Shikhar Dhawan gave the South Africans an opening, and they grabbed it with both hands. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, who improvised to scoop Dwaine Pretorius over the fine leg boundary, threw away their wickets within a space of two balls, leaving India in trouble at 92 for five in the 13th over. After Pant fell prey to left-arm spinner Fortuin's smart piece of bowling, Iyer stepped out only to be stumped down the leg-side. At the toss, Kohli contended that he doesn't want the team to slip into a comfort zone. Batting first or second, he wants his team to be a master of all situations with little more than a year left for the T20 World Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan is India's top-scorer
Top-scorer Dhawan blazed away to a 25-ball 36 and got India off to a brisk start that yielded them 54 runs in the first six overs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kagiso Rabada was expensive but picked up three wickets, while there were two apiece for Bjorn Fortuin (2/19 in 3 overs) and Beuran Hendricks (2/14), who choked the run-flow after the whirlwind start. Such was their dominance that no India batsman save Dhawan crossed the 20-run mark.
22:14 IST, September 22nd 2019