Follow our running blog with consolidated updates of each game in the SA vs IND T20I series 2023.

T20I #3 | Johannesburg

SKYfall at the Bullring!

Allowing India to bat first - in turn - propelled hosts South Africa to witness a CARNAGE from Aapla Dada Surya. Ethereal - that’s the word we would like to associate with what the Indian skipper did.

Suryakumar Yadav - he came, he saw, he CONQUERED! Let’s break down his innings shall we?

First nine balls: 18 runs

Next 20 balls: 17 runs

Last 26 balls: 65 runs

Total deliveries faced to reach 50: 32 balls

Total deliveries faced to reach 100: 55 balls

Take a bow, SKY!!!

Kuldeep spins a five-star performance

If the Indian batting was the main course, their bowling was the icing on the cake. Although the Proteas were already reduced to 42/4 in 6.1 overs, the introduction of Kuldeep Yadav in the 10th over would soon signal the end of the game.

1st over: 1, 0, 1, 1, 6, W

2nd over: 1, 1, 4, 1, 0, W

3rd over:  W, 0, W, 1, W 

Brief scores: India 201-5 (Suryakumar Yadav 100, Yashasvi Jaiswal 60; Keshav Maharaj 2/26) beat South Africa 95 (David Miller 35, Aiden Markram 25; Kuldeep Yadav 5/17) by 106 runs

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T20I #2 | Gqeberha

Dodgy start + SKY-TV show = Serious entertainment

Although it threatened to derail proceedings in between, the rain allowed the cricket to function. And it began with both Indian openers falling without opening their accounts. But what it did, was set the stage for our Men in Blue and Gold, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav to rebuild via their usual counter-attack.

While Tilak was the more sedate of the two, with a 20-ball 29, SKY, was his usual monster self. Game pressure? No problem. Silence critics? No problem. Scripting history? No problem. The Indian captain breezed past a couple of milestones:

• Joint-fastest to 2000 T20I runs as an Indian batter (56 innings alongside Virat Kohli)
• First Indian captain to score a fifty in a T20I in South Africa

Rinku blitzes too, but alas, it isn’t enough

39 balls, 68 runs, nine fours and two fours at a strike rate of 174.36 - Rinku Singh pivoted India to a score of 180/7 in 19.3 overs. The rain brought down the DLS target for SA to 152 in 15 overs. 

Unfortunately though, defending it with the wet ball on a wet outfield wasn’t easy for our boys, as Reeza Hendricks (49) and Aiden Markram (30), took the game away. Nevertheless, the action now heads over to Johannesburg, where the Indian team has had several happy memories in the past. Come on lads, let’s equalize! 

Brief scores: South Africa 154-5 in 13.5 overs (Reeza Hendricks 49, Aiden Markram 30; Mukesh Kumar 2/34) beat India 180/7 (Rinku Singh 68*, Suryakumar Yadav 56; Gerald Coetzee 3/32) by five wickets (DLS method)

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T20I #1: As it happened

Rain plays spoilsport in Durban

Cricket took a backseat, and the rains took the opportunity to greet South Africa and Aapla Dada Surya’s India in the first T20I at Durban.

With chances of rain predicted at 55 percent, the weather gods came in hard with an unrelenting downpour that saw the game get called off before the toss as well.

Now, the carriage moves to St George’s Park in Gqeberha, where we remain hopeful of a good (aka rainles) game of cricket.