On Sunday night in Guwahati, India showed a remarkable intent with the bat to post a mammoth total of 237/3, and restricted South Africa 16 runs short of the target. With this win, Rohit Sharma’s team has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, with a match remaining.  

Rohit has repeatedly stated the desire to play a new brand of cricket, and the efforts were visible in the second T20I, as the Indian batters showed ruthlessness that propelled the team’s total to 237 – the fourth highest total in T20I history. 

Rahul was at his fluent best, playing the backfoot punch, and flicking anything that strayed down to his leg towards the square leg region. While Rohit struggled to time his shots early in the innings, Rahul simply played around with the field, hitting nine boundaries for his 28-ball 57.  

There was no lack of intent from Rohit either, but it was just one of the days when the Indian captain struggled to pierce the gap, and got out after laboring to 43 off 37 deliveries. 

The dismissal of Rohit brought Suryakumar Yadav on the crease. In the next few overs, Suryakumar put up a perfect demonstration of his versatile stroke-making, scoring his third consecutive half-century, and this one came at a strike rate of 277. He forged a 102-run stand with Virat Kohli, who could have also completed his fifty. 

Kohli walked into the final over on 49, and he had an opportunity to get on the strike on the fourth ball, but he refused the offer from Dinesh Karthik. Then Karthik finished the innings with a six-over point, followed by a single on the last ball. Kohli, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 49, as he saw Karthik stealing 18 runs off Rabada’s last over. 

Arshdeep Singh then struck twice in his opening over to reduce South Africa to 1-2, but David Miller and Quinton de Kock staged a fightback to revitalize South Africa’s chase. In the end, they could only manage 221/3. The final T20I will be played on 5 October.  

Lead Image: Virat Kohli/Twitter