Mullanpur, Dec 12: India’s T20I woes continued as they suffered a 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second match of the series at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. Chasing a formidable 214, India was bowled out for 162, marking the seventh time the Men in Blue have failed to chase a 210+ target in T20Is.
Quinton de Kock starred for South Africa with an explosive 90 off 46 balls, featuring five fours and seven sixes, setting the platform for a commanding total. Ottniel Baartman’s 4/24 dismantled India’s batting line-up, exposing recurring vulnerabilities in their chase.
Among the Indian batters, only Tilak Varma managed a half-century, while the top order including the captain and vice-captain struggled once again. The loss levels the five match series at 1-1.
De Kock, awarded Player of the Match, has continued his dominance against India, scoring 441 runs in 12 T20I innings at an average of 44.10, including five fifties. He now holds seven Player of the Match awards in T20Is for South Africa, tying with AB de Villiers and just behind Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller.
Reflecting on his innings, de Kock said, “It is just happening, low and high scores. When I do get going, I try and make it count… Arshdeep (Singh) got me out plenty of times. It was just a technical thing to be aware of, and then play naturally.”