India vs South Africa T20s: Three close contests over the years

With the first match of the three-game T20I series between India and South Africa abandoned due to rain, both the teams will be keen to take the lead in the second match at Mohali taking place tonight, to ensure that they stand no chance of losing the series.

India and South Africa have till date faced each other in 13 games, with India having the ascendancy, winning eight. The Proteas have tasted victory in five matches. Further, two matches, including the 1st T20 of the current series at Dharamshala were washed out due to rain.

As India and South Africa face each other at Mohali, we look back at three of the closest tussles between the teams in the T20 format.

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Laxmipathy Balaji

1. 2012 World T20 Group match at Colombo (October 2, 2012)

India faced South Africa in the 24th match of the 2012 World T20 edition. The Proteas, led by AB de Villiers, won the toss and elected to field first. The Indians got off to a poor start as Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were all back in the hut by the sixth over. A resolute 45 from Suresh Raina combined with crucial 20s from Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and skipper MS Dhoni ensured India finished with a competitive 152 for 6. Morne Morkel got the big scalps of Gambhir and Yuvraj while Robin Peterson dismissed Sehwag and Sharma.

Zaheer Khan got India off to the perfect start dismissing Hashim Amla for a second-ball duck. Irfan Pathan then dismissed Jacques Kallis for 6 while Yuvraj accounted for de Villiers after he had made 13. Faf du Plessis made a blazing 65 from 38 balls to keep South Africa in the hunt. Yuvraj dismissed him and at 95 for 4 the game was evenly balanced. It all came down to the last over, and with South Africa needing 2, Laxmipathy Balaji cleaned up Morne Morkel to deliver a one-run triumph for India.

Suresh Raina.

2. 3rd T20 India tour of South Africa, Cape Town (February 24, 2018)

This was the deciding match of the three-games series. Having won the toss, South Africa inserted the visitors in. India put up an impressive all-round batting show to finish with 172 for 7. Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with 47 from 40 before being run out while the experienced Suresh Raina bludgeoned 43 from 27 balls with five fours and a six. Junior Dala was the most successful bowler with 3 for 35, including the wickets of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. Chris Morris claimed two scalps but went for 43.

In reply, South Africa never got going and were struggling at 45 for 2 after 9.1 overs. Skipper JP Duminy made a measured 55 from 41 balls while Christiaan Jonker dashed his way to 49 from 24 balls. However, South Africa were left with too much to do as they were restricted to 165 for 6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout performer for India with 2 for 24, including the key wicket of Jonker.

Colin Ingram.

3. Only T20I India tour of South Africa, Johannesburg (March 30, 2012)

In this rain-curtailed game, India won the toss and elected to field first. South Africa made merry batting first, with Colin Ingram smashing 78 from 50 balls with eight fours and three sixes. Jacques Kallis gave him excellent support as he contributed 61 from 42 balls. Thanks to the duo, the Proteas posted a massive 219 for 4. Irfan Pathan conceded 44 runs in his four overs while Suresh Raina finished with figures of 2 for 49.

With the weather interrupting proceedings, India were left with a tough task of chasing 83 in 7.5 overs, near impossible with no Virender Sehwag around. The visitors finished with a credible 71 for no loss as Gautam Gambhir smashed 49 from 28 balls. Robin Uthappa, however, struggled, managing only 18 in 19 balls. It cost India dearly in the end.

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