Top stats from 1st India vs South Africa T20I in Delhi

South Africa thumped India by seven wickets in the opening T20I of the five-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday.

Batting first after losing the toss, the hosts put up an impressive 211/4 on the board. Opener Ishan Kishan top-scored with a stroke-filled 76 off 48 balls while Hardik Pandya chipped in with an unbeaten 31 off 12 balls.

The Proteas were three down for 81 in the 9th over of the chase. However, a sensational fourth-wicket stand of 131 (unbroken) between David Miller (64* off 31) and Rassie van der Dussen (75* off 46) lifted the visitors to victory in emphatic style. South Africa got home in 19.1 overs to claim a crucial 1-0 lead in the five-game series.

A number of interesting records were registered during the high-scoring T20I between India and South Africa in Delhi on Thursday. Here’s a look:

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#1 Highest successful T20I run chase by South Africa

South Africa’s chase of 212 against the Men in Blue is now their highest-ever in T20Is. Before Thursday’s match, their best successful chase was 206 against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2007.

This record was created in the first match of the inaugural edition of the 2007 World Cup. Herschelle Gibbs’ unbeaten 90 off 55 trumped Chris Gayle’s 57-ball 117.

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#2 Highest successful T20I run chase against India

Proteas’ chase in Delhi is now also the record for the highest successful run chase against India in T20Is. The previous best chase against the Men in Blue was also achieved by the same team.

In 2015, South Africa chased down 200 against India in a T20I in Dharamsala. Rohit Sharma’s 106 off 66 balls led India to 199/5. Jean-Paul Duminy, however, cracked an unbeaten 68 off 34 as the South Africans got home in the last over with seven wickets in hand.

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#3 Team India’s winning streak in T20Is ends

India had a great chance to break the record for most consecutive wins in T20Is. Heading into the Delhi game, they were tied on 12 matches each with Afghanistan (February 2018 - September 2019) and Romania (October 2020 - September 2021).

The seven-wicket drubbing, however, ended India’s hope. The Men in Blue began their unbeaten streak during the T20 World Cup in the UAE in November last year. They were undefeated until February 2022.

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#4 India register the highest T20I total vs South Africa

Team India’s 211/4 in the 1st T20I is now their highest total in the format against South Africa. Their previous best was 203/5 in Johannesburg in 2018.

India batted first in that match and Shikhar Dhawan’s 39-ball 72 lifted them to an impressive total. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s five-wicket haul then propeled India to a comprehensive 28-run win.

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#5 Shreyas Iyer equals Aaron Finch’s record

During the 1st India-South Africa T20I, Shreyas Iyer equaled Aaron Finch’s record for most runs between two dismissals in T20Is (only full member sides).

Iyer had smashed 57*, 74* and 73* in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. On Thursday, he scored 36 before being dismissed, taking his run tally between two dismissals to 240.

Finch had scored 68* against Pakistan and 172 versus Zimbabwe in consecutive T20Is in Harare in 2018. David Warner scored 239 runs between two dismissals in T20Is back in 2019. He registered scores of 100*, 60*, 57*and 2* before being dismissed for 20.

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#6 Second highest fourth-wicket stand

Van der Dussen and Miller’s unbeaten stand of 131 is the second highest fourth-wicket partnership in T20Is (only full member sides).

Warner and Glenn Maxwell registered the highest partnership for the fourth wicket in the format against the Proteas in Johannesburg in 2016. The duo added 161 runs as Australia chased down a target of 205 by five wickets. Warner scored 77 off 40 while ‘The Big Show’ hammered 75 in 43 deliveries.

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#7 First instance of 7 players hitting three or more sixes in a T20I

The high-scoring Delhi encounter marked the first instance of seven players hitting three or more sixes in a T20I.

India’s Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya hit three sixes each. For the Proteas, Dwaine Pretorius whacked four maximums while Van der Dussen and Miller smacked five each.

Six players had hit three or more sixes in a T20I between New Zealand and India in Christchurch in 2009. Even during a Kiwis vs Aussies clash in Dunedin in 2021, six players slammed three or more maximums.