The first international cricket match at the New Chandigarh stadium saw South Africa emerge victorious by 51 runs.

Here’s how the evening went in Mullanpur.

Varun, Axar lead the fight with the cherry

Put in to bat first, the SA batters brought their A-game right from the start, smashing boundaries at will.

However, Varun Chakaravarthy (2/29) and Axar Patel (1/27) took breakthroughs amidst the carnage. At the end of 20 overs, the visitors’ scorecard read 213/4 as opener Quinton de Kock top-scored with a 46-ball 90.

Things didn’t quite go Team India’s way

The momentum continued to swing in South Africa’s favour throughout the game.

Although Tilak-Hardik’s steady 51-run stand, coupled with TV’s superb half-century and Jitesh’s fiery cameo, kept us in the game, the opposition’s disciplined bowling had the final say. 

Suryakumar Yadav and Co. will now look to bounce back in the third T20I on Sunday, December 14, scheduled to take place in Dharamsala.

**********

Brief Scores: South Africa 213/4 (Quinton de Kock 90, Varun Chakaravarthy 2/29) beat India 162/10 (Tilak Varma 62, Ottneil Baartman 4/24) by 51 runs.