Hardik Pandya’s mammoth effort left analysts and followers alike questioning if he overcame tough circumstances or made probably the most of quickly bettering ones. The proof was within the Protean pudding, with South Africa succumbing to a 101-run defeat within the first T20I on the Barabati Stadium right here on Tuesday.
South Africa’s collapse put further shine on Hardik’s half-century, after the all-rounder helped India get better from a spot of trouble to set a 176-run goal. The customer was ultimately bundled out in 12.3 overs, for its lowest rating within the format.
Arshdeep Singh made early inroads with the brand new ball, his vast outswinger drawing an edge off Quinton de Kock. Abhishek Sharma made no mistake at second slip.
An inside edge was Tristan Stubbs’ undoing, Arshdeep deceiving him with the wobble seam and Jitesh Sharma taking a low catch – a nicely taken overview sending him on the lengthy stroll again.
The introduction of spin additional piled distress on the guests, Axar Patel knocking out Aiden Markram’s leg stump and ramping up the decibel ranges. After that, it was a procession to the pavilion, with David Miller and Donovan Ferreira falling in consecutive overs to go away South Africa 5 wickets down for simply 50 runs.
A googly from Varun Chakaravarthy then ended Marco Jansen’s time within the center whereas Jasprit Bumrah despatched the damaging Dewald Brevis and Keshav Maharaj, crossing the 100-wicket milestone in T20Is within the course of, as India rapidly cleaned up the decrease order to wrap up a cushty win.
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Earlier, Jansen proved to be a difficult firewall for India because the Proteas put the host below the pump to clinch early momentum. Lungi Ngidi made the a lot of the pace-friendly purple soil pitch, sending again Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma understandably dialed down cautiously. The previous tried to swivel the ball superb for 4, however Jansen coated 11 meters in simply 5 strides to take a superb catch off Lutho Sipamla’s bowling to go away Abhishek and the Indian trustworthy choosing their jaws off the ground.
With three wickets gone and the temperature dropping to 19°C, the partisan crowd wanted one thing particular to heat as much as the fixture once more, and Tilak duly obliged. He picked a slower supply from Nortje and walloped it over deep sq. leg, the ball crusing out of the stadium and into the night time sky.
Simply when India appeared to be constructing momentum, Jansen slammed the brakes, sending again Tilak with a wonderful catch at deep superb leg, backtracking and plucking the ball from the air, simply inches away from the ropes.
Strain brings the very best out of Hardik and India appeared to him as soon as extra. Off Maharaj, he smacked two sixes to ease a stuttering run fee and frayed nerves. After dropping Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, Hardik and Jitesh Sharma drew 18 runs from the penultimate over.
Hardik’s one centesimal profession T20I six introduced up his half-century, in simply 25 balls, a quintessentially resilient blitz that set India up for a well-known win.
Revealed on Dec 09, 2025