The hosts rallied back from 86 for seven to knock off 42 runs off 20 balls to inflict a series-levelling win, chasing 125, putting to waste a supreme exhibition of white-ball spin bowling by Varun Chakravarthy. (AP)
Pulling Arshdeep Singh through the square-leg fence, Tristan Stubbs roared in delight. His sidekick in a memorable heist at Gqeberha, Gerald Coetzee, swiped the air in anger before the two locked in a mid-pitch embrace. No victory from the jaws of defeat against India could reduce the pain of their World Cup final loss a few months ago in Barbados. But the win could offer a fleeting respite, as the hosts rallied back from 86 for seven to knock off 42 runs off 20 balls to inflict a series-levelling win, chasing 125, putting to waste a supreme exhibition of white-ball spin bowling by Varun Chakravarthy (5/17).
Varun’s 13th over, wherein he consumed two finishers of devastating nature, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, seemed to stamp the match in India’s favour. Two overs later, South Africa lost Andile Simelane too to have them reeling at 86 for 7. But a final twist was lurking in the shadows. It began with Coetzee, he of Tarzan-like shoulder, swatting Arshdeep over long-off for a six. But India did not panic because it was presumed as no more than a lower-order hand’s merry waft of the willow.
Then, though, it turned frightening with Stubbs drilling the last ball of the Arshdeep over for another four, before Coetzeee fetched a pair of fours off the first two balls of the Avesh Khan over. At this precise moment, India seemed to surrender all their hopes. A two and a few singles reduced the target down to 13 off 12 balls. It was a target even the finickiest chasers in the game could not fumble. Stubbs, once touted to batting greatness, wrapped up the win with four boundaries in the 19th over.
Tristan comes up trumps for the Proteas 🤩
The hosts level the 4-match series in style 👏#SAvIND #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/nhIVIsTtB2
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 10, 2024
Varun’s wrong’uns
In the end, it was a game South Africa were always favourites to win. Just that Chakravarthy’ exemplary show of spin bowling offered India a fleeting glimpse of an unlikely victory. His wrong’un spun ragged into the right-hander. The hard length pushed batsmen onto the back-foot. But the extra skid beat them. The turn cramped them. To the wrong’uns owed the first three wickets. But all three were different, and this makes Chakravarthy difficult to counter. A slow and full one consumed Aiden Markram. It was delivered from wide of the crease, drifted in and spun back to beat his wayward slog.
A maiden 5 wicket haul for India’s new spin sensation! 😍
Take a bow, Varun Chakaravarthy 🙌
Watch the exciting 2nd #SAvIND T20I LIVE on #JioCinema, #Sports18 & #ColorsCineplex 👈#JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/t5hpMC6OAJ
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 10, 2024
The deception to Reeza Hendricks was different. The ball was shorter, quicker and spun back generously to beat his last-ditch jailbreak effort. The wicket offered India a slim ray of hope. South Africa, then, were strolling along at 44 for 2. Hendricks had just stroked him for a four, and then made a complete mess of the next ball. Even then, it seemed just a matter of time before South Africa played him out and found the runs from the others. The run-rate was within control and all it would have taken were a few lusty blows to chop the target down. With this intention, South Africa sent Marco Jansen up the order. In two overs, they had halved the target.
But then returned Varun, the last lease of India’s hope. Fifth ball of the third over, he ejected Jansen with another wrong’un. It landed on a good length and turned away from him. The beanpole South African had little clue about the ball and blindly swung his bat. He missed the ball and was castled. India were back in the game. Then happened the 13th over, wherein he deceived Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller. The first ball was slow and tossed up, enticing Klaasen for the sledge-hammer drive through the extra cover. But the ball gripped off the surface, turned away a bit and flew off the outside half of his bat. He skied the ball to Rinku Singh at long off. Half the match seemed over then.
Chakara-WORTHY ✨
A beautiful ball to get the wicket of Hendricks 🤩
Watch the exciting 2nd #SAvIND T20I LIVE on #JioCinema, #Sports18 & #ColorsCineplex 👈#JioCinemaSports #VarunChakaravarthy pic.twitter.com/enOb7E33NM
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 10, 2024
But the muscled frame of David Miller loomed. That World Cup tragic hero. Varun composed an inch-perfect first ball. The ball drifted into the left-hander but dropped fractionally shorter than he had presumed and spun away just a fraction to shave his off-stump. South Africa tottered to 66 for 6, seemingly a point of no return. But Coetzee and Stubbs orchestrated an unlikely victory.
The foundations though were laid by a throwback fielding performance. Axar Patel, the most fluent Indian batsman, was caught short of the crease at the non-striker’s end. He backed away too far, alright, but the googly-spewing leg-spinner Nqabayomzi Peter reacted swiftly enough to ricochet a muscled straight drive from Hardik Pandya. Another left-hander, and equally placid, Tilak Verma drove uppishly but powerfully through extra cover only for David Miller’s spidery right hand to stretch and pocket the ball. His departure ended a fourth-wicket stand that seemed to pull India out of trouble after a rocky start wherein they found the top three back in the dugout for 15 runs. India lost their way then and there.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 11-11-2024 at 00:06 IST
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