South Africa win second T20I by 51 runs; De Kock stars with a 46-ball 90
Mullanpur: The lean run of Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav was extended as Indian batters stumbled on a good batting surface to lose the second T20 against South Africa by 51 runs here on Thursday.
Quinton de Kock made an effortless 90 off 46 balls, pushing South Africa to a challenging 213 for four after India opted to field.
India were expected to chase down the steep target but South Africa removed Indian trio of Abhishek Sharma (17), Gill (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (5) inside the powerplay to put the hosts on the backfoot. India were eventually bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs with Tilak Varma (62 off 34) playing a lone hand.
The five-match series now stands at 1-1 with the third match scheduled in Dharamsala on December 14.
The local crowd was hoping for fireworks from home favourites Gill and Abhishek, but both fell cheaply to the South African new-ball attack. Axar Patel tried to rebuild with a cautious 21, but the lack of partnerships meant India were always behind the rate despite Tilak’s fluent innings.
Earlier, de Kock was at his free-flowing best, dispatching seven sixes—most in the deep square-leg arc—as he punished Indian pacers. His assault unsettled Arshdeep Singh, who leaked 18 runs in an over that also included seven wides.
South Africa’s finishing kick came through Donovan Ferreira (30* off 16) and David Miller (20* off 12), who capitalised on India’s off-day at the death, hammering Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes in the final over. India conceded 123 runs in the last 10 overs, allowing the visitors to post a match-winning total.
