South Africa Achieves Adjusted Target in Rain-Affected Match to Secure Victory Over India

In the second Twenty20 international at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday, standout half-centuries from India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh were overshadowed as South Africa successfully chased a revised target to win by five wickets.

India, batting first, reached 180 for seven before rain interrupted the innings with three balls left in their 20 overs. The delay led to a revised target for South Africa, who needed 152 runs in 15 overs.

South Africa’s pursuit was anchored by Reeza Hendricks, who scored a brisk 49 off 27 balls, guiding the team to victory with seven balls remaining. This win gave South Africa a 1-0 lead in the series, following the washout of the first match in Durban.

South African captain Aiden Markram acknowledged the advantage the rain brought, noting that the wet conditions aided their chase.

Indian captain Suryakumar contributed a swift 56 off 36 balls, while Singh remained not out with his highest T20 score of 68 off 39 balls. Despite early setbacks with both openers dismissed without scoring, Suryakumar and Tilak Varma (29) counterattacked, adding 49 runs in just 25 balls. Suryakumar and Singh then partnered for a crucial 70-run stand.

Suryakumar emphasized their intent to maintain an aggressive style of play regardless of the situation.

Markram praised the Indian batting but credited his strategic use of bowlers, especially Tabraiz Shamsi, who bowled his left-arm wrist spin in three spells for economical figures of one for 18.

Gerald Coetzee also made a significant impact with three wickets for 32 runs, including the final two Indian wickets just before the rain interruption.

The brief scores of the match were: India 180-7 in 19.3 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 56, Rinku Singh 68 not out; Gerald Coetzee 3-32) and South Africa 154-5 in 13.5 overs (Reeza Hendricks 49, Aiden Markram 30; Mohammed Siraj 2-34), leading to South Africa’s five-wicket win by the DLS Method. South Africa now leads the three-match series 1-0, with the final game scheduled for December 17 in Johannesburg.