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South Africa 154 for 5 (Hendricks 49, Markram 30, Mukesh 2-34) beat India 180 for 7 (Rinku 68*, Suryakumar 56, Coetzee 3-32) by five wickets (DLS method)
Hendricks, who did not get a game at last year’s T20 World Cup and is South Africa’s leading run-scorer in the format this year, underlined his claim on the opener’s role with another authoritative knock. While Quinton de Kock, currently at the Abu Dhabi T20, will come into national contention for next year’s tournament, Hendricks’ latest efforts must secure him the other opener’s spot.
After finishing as the most successful first-powerplay bowler at the recent 50-over World Cup, Marco Jansen was back at it with the new ball in the shortest format. He found movement into the left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal and beat the inside edge before banging in a short ball. Jaiswal could not get on top of the bounce as he tried to cut and hit it to David Miller at backward point, who took a diving catch to his left. Two balls later, exactly the same thing happened but with Tilak Varma attempting the shot. He sent it to Miller’s right and though he went for the ball with both hands he could not hold on. Tilak went on to share in a 49-run third-wicket stand with Suryakumar and hit four fours and a six before Jansen took the catch that dismissed him for 29.
SKY’s the limit
India lost both openers for ducks for only the second time in T20I history, and first since 2016, and it was up to stand-in captain Suryakumar to rebuild. He had luxury of watching for an over as Varma took Jansen apart in an 18-run third over and then got in on the act with two fours and a six in Coetzee’s 14-run fourth, including a signature flick for six over the wicketkeeper’s head. Suryakumar continued on to whip Lizaad Williams over deep midwicket for six, send an Andile Phehlukwayo slower ball over short fine, sweep Tabraiz Shamsi through square and hit Jansen off his pads and over Heinrich Klaasen. He brought up 50 off 29 balls, put on 70 with Rinku, and was set to bat through but was deceived by a Shamsi googly and hit it to long-off to depart in the 14th over.
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