‘We are cruising along here!’ – Fans Over The Moon As India Defeat South Africa By Eight Wickets In The First T20I
Suryakumar Yadav in the first T20I against South Africa (Image Source: Twitter)
After winning the three-match T20I series at home against Australia, India kicked off another three-match T20I series on 28 September 2022 against South Africa. Both teams locked horns in Thiruvananthapuram for the series opener. However, ahead of the match, India dealt with a massive blow. The Indian Board announced that Jasprit Bumrah will miss the match as he had some back pain in the training session.
Coming to this series, India decided to send Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya to the NCA for strength and conditioning work. Deepak Hooda also got ruled out due to a back injury. Mohammad Shami also failed to recover from his Covid-19 infection. Hence, Rohit Sharma had some issues while selecting the playing XI for the match. Meanwhile, India won the toss and asked the Proteas to bat first.
India defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the first T20I of the series
In absence of maximum star bowlers, India went with both Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh along with Harshal Patel. For South Africa, skipper Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock came out to open. But, both Chahar and Arshdeep were on fire as they grabbed five wickets in just the first five overs. Top-order batters of South Africa had no clue against their swinging deliveries. But, Keshav Maharaj showed some fight as he scored 41 runs off 35 balls. He hit five fours and two sixes. In 20 overs, the Proteas scored only 106 runs for eight wickets. For India, Arshdeep took three wickets for 32 runs in four overs.
But, in response, Indian batters also faced issues in the first six overs. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli departed early by scoring zero and three runs respectively. Then, KL Rahul and Suryakumar both hit their fifties. Yadav scored 50 runs off 33 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Thus, India chased down the target in 16.4 overs. Hence, India defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the first T20I of the series.
Here is how fans have reacted to the victory of India over South Africa in the first T20I of the series:
https://twitter.com/LucknowIPL/status/1575163931307278337
https://twitter.com/a12sun/status/1575164698302873615
https://twitter.com/MeiyangChang/status/1575164744738013189
.@arshdeepsinghh and @deepak_chahar9 bowled a superb opening spell reducing SA to 9-5
A 90 run partnership between @surya_14kumar (50) and @klrahul (51) gives India a 8 wicket win
HUM JEET GAAAAAAYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, HUM JEET GAYE!!!!!!!!!!!! #INDvSA #Lagaan
— North Stand Gang – Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) September 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/AkAbhayAk3/status/1575164737956220928
Fantastic half century #SKY #INDvSA
— Jaikumar S (@Jaiharshan) September 28, 2022
#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/k3aiMsVSBA
— Thami (@Thamzet) September 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/ImmoderateOne/status/1575164719484502016
