The Suryakumar Yadav-led side and Aiden Markram & Co. tour India in South Africa 2024 on Friday, November 8. between started with the first T20I of the four-match series at Kingsmead in Durban.
Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian National Cricket Team defeated South African National Cricket Team by 61 runs in the match to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The second leg is scheduled for Sunday, November 10 at St Georges Park in Qkeberha.
India scored 202 runs and bowled out South Africa for 141
India lost the toss but got what they wanted as they were invited to bat first. Abhishek Sharma once again faltered with the bat but his opening partner Sanju Samson played one of the best knocks of his T20I career.
Sanju Samson played an attacking game of cricket and took the Proteas bowlers to the cleaners. He smashed his second consecutive T20I century, scoring 107 runs off 50 balls.
Apart from Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma (33) and Suryakumar Yadav (21) made decent contributions with the bat. The performances of the aforementioned batsmen helped India post a huge score of 202 for 8.
Defending the total, the Indian bowlers did not allow the South Africans to get ahead. Varun Chakraborty and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each, while Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh shared three wickets as India bowled out South Africa for 141 in 17.5 overs.
Also read: Watch: Tristan Stubbs ends Sanju Samson’s historic T20I innings with a fantastic catch in Durban
As I already said in the toss and on the computer, the boys made it easy for me – Suryakumar Yadav said after the match
Speaking after the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that he was unaware of India’s umpiring record in Durban. He said:
“(India’s record in Durban, if anyone knows about it) Is it? I didn’t know about it, now I know. We haven’t changed our brand of cricket in the last 3-4 series, we are very happy. with a win.”
When asked about Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav said that the wicketkeeper-batsman has worked hard and is finally getting the reward. Suryakumar Yadav said:
“(On Samson) The amount of work he’s put in over the last few years, doing boring stuff, it’s paying off. It was in the 90s, but he was still pushing the boundaries, playing for it. It shows the character of the team and the person, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Suryakumar Yadav then talked about his plans to get a spinner in the crucial phase and talked about his captaincy. He said that the talented players in the squad made his job quite easy.
“The plan (while taking on the spinners in the decider) was, we were looking for the decider wickets of Klaasen and Miller and the way they (the spinners) delivered, which was incredible,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
“(enjoys the captaincy) As I have already said in the toss and PC, the boys have made it easy for me, I don’t need to carry any baggage, they have shown a fearless attitude, the boys have fun on and off the field, that is the brand of cricket that makes it easy for me, if we lose a few wickets well, it’s a T20 game, but we know we have 20 games, you can score 200 in 17 overs, why not,” added Suryakumar Yadav.
The result of the previous match between India and South Africa
The previous T20I encounter between India and South Africa was in the final of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. India posted a good total of 176/7 on the board against South Africa.
Batting first, India’s start was shaken as Rohit Sharma was dismissed prematurely for 9 runs. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a decisive 76 off 59 balls and Axar Patel made a quick 47 off 31 balls to help lift the team’s total after early setbacks. Shivam Dube also scored a valuable 27 to allow India to reach a competitive score in the 20 overs.
In response, South Africa stumbled almost immediately. Jasprit Bumrah struck early, trapping Reeza Hendricks for 4 and Arshdeep Singh trapping captain Aiden Markram for just 4 runs. Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs then staged a mini-recovery, but Arshdeep’s accuracy and Bumrah’s disciplined bowling kept South Africa’s top order from accelerating.
However, Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 off 27 balls made the game a tight affair. His attack, combined with David Miller’s 21, kept South Africa’s hopes alive and pushed them closer to the target.
With South Africa needing 30 from 30 in the end, the Indian bowlers held their nerve. Hardik Pandya’s three-wicket haul, especially in the death overs, played a vital role as South Africa fell to 7 runs at 169/8.
