T20 World Cup 2022: Lungi Ngidi bounces India out of Perth and Pakistan off fast lane to the knockouts

South Africa continued their good record against India in T20Is as pacer Lungi Ngidi’s four-wicket burst helped them prevail by five wickets at the Perth Stadium on Sunday. The Proteas jumped to the top of Group 2, also endangering Pakistan’s road to the knockouts.

Except for the toss, nothing went right for Rohit Sharma’s boys. The captain was Lungi Ngidi’s first scalp, with the 26-year-old breaking the back of India’s batting in an exhilarating three-over spell. The three other Proteas pacers also made the most of the conditions on offer as India could manage only 133 for 9 from their 20 overs.

Defending a small but tricky total, India bowled out of their skins to drag the game into the last over. But Ashwin’s toothless display and the team’s lacklustre fielding meant that South Africa crossed the line with just two balls to spare.

All the talk around pace gained momentum after just the first over, as KL Rahul played out a maiden against Wayne Parnell. While the left-arm pacer took it away from the right-hander, Kagiso Rabada hit the hard length and targeted the body. But Rohit seemed to continue from where he left off in Sydney, hitting a six and a boundary off Rabada’s express pace.

The tremors died down, but only for a little while. Lungi Ngidi, coming as first change, poured water – gallons of it – on India’s circumspect start. He needed just 15 balls to send four superstars back to the hut. While Rohit (15 off 14), Virat Kohli (12 off 11) and Hardik Pandya (2 off 3) miscued Ngidi’s bouncers, Rahul (9 off 14) guided a short and wide delivery straight into the hands of Aiden Markram at first slip.

The four-pronged Proteas pace attack put on an exhibition of sending balls flying past batters. The pitch also provided sufficient aid. There was swing, bounce, carry, zip (all of these in large quantities), coupled with a strong breeze blowing across the turf. Basically, include all superlatives you’d associate with a Perth pitch. Even Suryakumar Yadav, who is adept at playing the dabs and the cuts, was floored as an Anrich Nortje bouncer whistled from above his half-arched position.

Deepak Hooda’s dismissal was a case in point. Playing his first match of the tournament, the 27-year-old swung at a wide delivery, with no foot movement, only to meet thin air. He repeated his antics the very next delivery, but this time, a thick edge flew into Quinton de Kock’s gloves.

Temba Bavuma didn’t need to summon Keshav Maharaj until the 11th over as his quicks reduced the much-vaunted Indian line-up to 60 for 5.

However, it was to be the dawn of Surya. Like several times in the recent past, he vaulted India out of a dark abyss. This time, though, single-handedly. As SKY had told the media after his 51* off 25 balls against the Netherlands, he just stuck to a simple task: up the ante and inject momentum.

And it again worked wonders. It was as if the wicket suddenly flattened out for him. Dinesh Karthik went into an uncharacteristic shell, but Surya took the attack to the South African bowlers. Even star performer Ngidi (4 for 27) was hit for a six and a boundary in his final over, as the 32-year-old brought up his 11th T20I fifty off just 30 deliveries. There were the trademark flicks and pick-ups, but also the drives and hard running between the wickets.

India had their best phase from overs 11 to 15 as 41 runs came in that period. A platform was laid for the final flourish. But it was not to be. As wickets kept tumbling at the other end, the pressure was not only mounting on India but also on Surya to make the previous condition null and void.

After getting to face just 3 deliveries out of 10 since the start of the 17th over, Suryakumar Yadav (68 off 40) perished to a cutter from Parnell (3 for 15). He hit more fours and sixes than the rest of his 10 teammates combined. There were zero hits to the fence in the final three overs, as India finished on 133 for 9.

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David Miller, Aiden Markram fifties take South Africa home

The duo's 76-run fourth-wicket stand all but killed the game

The circumstances somehow had a semblance of the two sides’ meeting at the inaugural T20 World Cup. And Arshdeep Singh soon freshened up that memory. After Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tidy first over, the left-arm pacer – with one delivery going away and the other coming in – sent back Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw, respectively, for ducks.

The Indian seamers also seemed to have the ball on a string, thus accentuating Bavuma’s lean patch. Mohammad Shami (1 for 13), finishing the powerplay, ended the opposition skipper’s struggles too. He finally found the edge as the Proteas found themselves precariously placed at 24 for 3 after six overs.

Hardik Pandya too joined the party. While his frontline colleagues focused on sapping the morale of the batters by beating their outside edge, Pandya looked to terrorise them by dispatching a bouncer barrage. Ravichandran Ashwin’s services were called upon only in the 10th over, as South Africa crippled to 40 for 3. They were 20 runs short of where India were at the same stage.

Meanwhile, surviving plays and misses, DRS calls, potential run-outs, Aiden Markram and David Miller were slowly but steadily resurrecting the run-chase. The most shocking reprieve came when Kohli dropped a sitter at deep mid-wicket to give Markram – he was on 35 – a life. Ashwin’s jaws, it seemed, would drop on the ground.

The tide apparently turned with Ashwin’s third over. Both batters tonked sixes straight down the ground as 17 runs came off the 14th over. The match was almost following in the footsteps of the Sri Lanka-Australia clash at the same venue, when Marcus Stoinis took the spinners to the cleaners.

Rohit’s desperate move to bring back Arshdeep didn’t work as the Proteas scored at 11 runs per over since the halfway stage. In what was a double whammy, Dinesh Karthik walked off the field after the 15th over with probably a lower-back injury. Rishabh Pant walked out to a rousing reception.

It was Pandya (1 for 29), though, who finally put a lid on Markram’s (52 off 41) luck. He skied a short-pitched delivery again towards deep mid-wicket but, this time, Surya made no mistake in ending the fourth-wicket stand worth 76 off 60 balls.

Rohit Sharma took a punt with handing Ashwin (1 for 43) the responsibility of bowling the 18th over. And that eventually proved to be the final nail in the coffin. With 25 runs required from 18 balls, Miller hit two sixes to bring the equation down to under a run-a-ball. Although he did strike Tristan Stubbs (6 off 6) plumb in front, Miller’s composed knock of 59* off 46 balls ensured South Africa pipped India to the top spot.

The result also jeopardises Pakistan’s chances of advancing. Babar Azam’s boys now have to beat both South Africa and Bangladesh, and also bank on other teams’ results.

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