India vs South Africa 2022: 2nd T20I – Who Said What

South Africa beat India by four wickets in the second T20I at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The bowlers once again let the hosts down despite being in a position of strength, having accounted for the top-order early on.

Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for one after which Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were involved in a small partnership. Once Kishan was dismissed, India suffered a collapse as Iyer tried to stabilize the innings, scoring 40 off 35.

Finishing touches from Dinesh Karthik (21-ball 30*) in the end with an helped India post 148/6. Anrich Nortje starred with the ball for the visitors with figures of 2/36 while Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, and Keshav Maharaj bagged a wicket each.

Heinrich Klaasen leads Proteas chase

In reply, the Proteas were reeling at 29/3 before Powerplay. Wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen then came to the party as he held on to his nerves brilliantly and counter-attacked the Indian bowlers. Klaasen showed his class as he went on to register a fantastic half-century.

He looked set for a big score, but his promising innings came to an end for 81 runs from 46 deliveries. South Africa did lose a couple more wickets after that, however, there was nothing to worry about as David Miller completed the formalities in the penultimate over.

Losing skipper, Rishabh Pant said:

“We were 10-15 runs short. Bhuvi and the fast bowlers bowled well in the first 7-8 overs. But after that we weren’t up to the mark. In the second half we needed wickets, but we couldn’t get those wickets. They (Klaasen and Bavuma) actually batted really well. We could have bowled better, hope we improve in the next game. We need to win all the remaining three games now.”

Winning skipper, Temba Bavuma said:

“It was a tricky chase, Bhuvi bowled well, he made the ball talk upfront. It could have been clinical towards the end, but we will take that. We really needed someone to take it deep. That’s the role I play in the game, to close it off. There’s a learning I can take from this game, will try better in the next game. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy chase, but we were confident. We knew we had to execute our plans, and we had to be clinical. We can use him (Miller) at 5 or 6. Klaasen is someone who can do the damage in a couple of balls. He (Klaasen) adds a lot of value to our batting. Whatever your role is, you need to execute as well as you can.”

Player of the match, Heinrich Klaasen said:

“Quinny came up to me in the bus and told me that he has injured his wrist. Yesterday morning his hand was a bit stiff, so I got to know that I am playing yesterday. It looked very difficult with the new ball, so I tried to target the spinners. I am glad it happened against India. I am honored to be here, and I am lucky to be here. Lot of staff members backed me, so pretty happy with that support, this one’s for them.”