India Beat South Africa By 11 Runs In Centurion Park, Take 2-1 Series Lead

Arshdeep Singh managed to defend 25 runs in the last over in front of the in-form Marco Jansen and helped India beat South Africa by 11 runs. Jansen was blazing the guns all over the park but Singh kept his cool and bowled in right areas to defend the total.

Marco Jansen completed his maiden T20I half-century off just 16 balls and set the stage for the hosts from where the match can go in any direction. Now, South Africa need 18 runs off the last four balls.

Ravi Bishnoi finished his spell with back-to-back sixes off Ravi Bishnoi. He leaked 18 runs in his fourth over to make the equation 59 off 18 balls for South Africa with Heinrich Klaasen still at the crease.

Heinrich Klaasen targeted Varun Chakaravarthy in his last over of the spell and smashed the first three balls of the over for six. He managed one more boundary and added 23 runs from the over. Ravi Bishnoi conceded eight runs in the next over.

Ravi Bishnoi was introduced into the attack in the 11th over and he conceded just seven runs in that. He was called back from the same end and he gave just four runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy bounced back after conceding a six in his third over of the spell. Aiden Markram tried to it another six and was caught at mi-wicket by Ramandeep Singh as Chakaravarthy took his 10th wicket in the series. It is the most number of wickets by an Indian bowler in a bilateral series.

Varun Chakaravarthy was introduced into the attack in the last over of the powerplay and he dismissed Reeza Hendricks. Then Patel bowled at three-run over. Chakaravarthy conceded just six runs in the next over which kept the hosts at bay.

The spin was introduced in the fifth over with Axar Patel in attack. He conceded three boundaries in the over with two singles.

Arshdeep Singh yet again shines with the new ball. A four and a six in this over by Rickleton but the left-arm pacer has the last laugh. Rickleton just plays this full length ball on to his stumps and Arshdeep has his 90th T20I wicket.

Ryan Rickelton miscues the fourth ball of the second over high in the Centurion night sky towards mid-off. Axar Patel has to cover some ground and take the catch but he spills it. A decent over for South Africa. A boundary and total 10 runs of it.

The flying ants are all gone now and after about 20 minutes of break, players are ready to carry on from where they left. South Africa need 213 runs to win in 114 balls. Hardik Pandya is ready with the ball.

Insects came from nowhere and disturbed players from continuing the game. Umpires advised players to leave the ground after one over by Arshdeep Singh and now players of both teams are in their respective dugouts.

South Africa opened the batting with Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks and India opened the bowling attack with Arshdeep Singh. Hendricks hit a boundary in the over which helped the hosts collect seven runs from the over.

Brief Score: IND – 219/6 (20)

Tilak Varma – 107 (56), Abhishek Sharma – 50 (25) | Andile Simelane: (3-0- 34-2)

Marco Jansen bowled a brilliant final over and conceded just four runs. Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 107 after hitting his maiden international century. Ramandeep Singh’s crucial contribution of 15 runs off six balls helped India set a 220-run target for South Africa.

Tilak Varma completed his maiden T20I century in just 51 balls. Sipamla bowled a no-ball which allowed Varma to finish the over with a big six.

Rinku Singh got dismissed after struggling to find the middle of the bat in the 18th over. Andile Simelane bowled him with a brilliant yorker. Ramandeep Singh opened his international career with a first-ball six.

Tilak Varma changed gears just after the time-out and smashed Keshav Maharaj for three consecutive boundaries. He targeted Gerald Coetzee then and hit him for two sixes. He finished the over with another boundary.

Hardik Pandya was trying to hit big shots but Keshav Maharaj trapped him in his spin web. He took the review but that did not helped the former India captain. Rinku Singh has joined Tilak Varma at the crease.

Andile Simelane dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for the second time in the series as he trapped him at deep point. Marco Jansen made no mistake in catching the ball as the Indian captain joined Abhishek Sharma in the pavilion. Hardik Pandya is the new batter at the crease. Only three runs from the over.

Abhishek Sharma got stumped out just after completing his half-century in the ninth over. Keshav Maharaj was introduced and Sharma welcomed him with a huge six. He took his revenge by getting him stumped on the fourth delivery. Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter.

South Africa chased down a 259-run target against West Indies in the second T20I with seven balls to spare in March this year. This is a high-scoring ground and India need to score as many runs as possible.

Aiden Markram introduced spin bowling and himself came to bowl the seventh over. Abhishek Sharma welcomed him with a boundary over covers then Varma played a switch hit for a beautiful six. 13 runs came from the over.

This is only the third occasion in his short career that Abhishek Sharma is batting beyond the third over in a T20I match. He targeted Andile Simelane, who came to bowl his first over and smashed him for back-to-back sixes.

Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma did not care if they lose one wicket. Varma was sent before Suryakumar Yadav and he opened his run-account with back-toback boundaries off Jansen in the first over. Abhishek joined him in the next over and hit Gerald Coetzee for two fours and one six to collect 15 runs from the over.

Marco Jansen opened the bowling attack for South Africa and he cleaned up Sanju Samson for the second time on the second delivery of the first over. It was a replay of his dismissal in the second match. Samson went back without opening his account in the match. Two ducks after two tons for Samson in his last four innings.

A big thunderstorm came last night in Centurion and it also rained but conditions are good for the match. The pitch looks dry and spinners might play a vital role for both the teams. The square boundaries are small – 59 and 64 metres but down the ground it is 82 metres.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first in Centurion.

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla

Ramandeep Singh is set to make his T20I debut as VVS Laxman handed over a cap to Hardik Pandya who passed it on to Singh before the toss. The Punjab all-rounder has impressed everyone with his power-hitting and match-winning abilities.

The third T20I match between India and South Africa is being telecast on Sports18 and Sports18 HD channels. Indian fans can watch the live streaming on JioCinema too.

The live-action in Centurion will start at 8:30 pm IST.

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Avesh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Ramandeep Singh, Yash Dayal

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter, Patrick Kruger, Mihlali Mpongwana, Donovan Ferreira, Ottneil Baartman , Lutho Sipamla