South Africa vs India 2018, 1st T20I: Hits and Misses

After clinching the ODI series with a margin of 5-1, Virat Kohli and Co. have made a thumping start to the three-match T20 series as well. The Indian team beat South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg by 28 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

JP Duminy won the toss and chose to bowl first, but his team capitulated under the attack from India's top three batsmen. However, they scalped wickets at a relative frequency and restricted India to a total of 203-5. This was a considerable feat, as the visitors looked on course to cross 220 at one point of the game.

However, the hosts could not chase the total down and fell to the magnificence of a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Here are the hits and misses from the game.

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#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The 28-year-old finished with incredible figures of 5 off 24 in four overs

If there is one player Kohli can rely on across any format of the game, it is this incredible bowling all-rounder.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling for India in the second innings of the game and claimed two wickets in his first three overs, giving away just 19 runs in a high-scoring encounter. It seemed like he had already done his job for the day.

However, the right-arm medium bowler was far from done.

He came back to bowl the last over of his spell in the 18th over of the game. His team was in a tight situation then and thanks to some incredible hitting from their middle order batsmen, South Africa were right back into the game.

Kumar thudded in, bowled his heart out, and changed the game on its head. He picked up three wickets in a span of five deliveries. The 28-year-old finished with incredible figures of 5 off 24 in four overs.

#2 Miss: The South African fielding unit

Behardien(right) dropped Kohli twice

Not so long ago, the fielding standard set forth by the South African cricket team was the touchstone in international cricket. Jonty Rhodes, who was a livewire in the field, won Man of the Match awards for his fielding alone.

The on-field effort from the Proteas against India on this tour has been almost insulting of that glorious past. The hosts dropped as many as three catches in Johannesburg and made some glaring blunders inside the 30-yard circle. Heinrich Klaasen had a forgettable day behind the wickets as well.

On the other hand, the fielding from Kohli's men was right on the money, which pressurized the batsmen from the word go. The inclusion of Suresh Raina and Manish Pandey in the side only bolstered their fielding further, making them a treat to watch in the field.

This clinical effort from the Indians highlighted the underwhelming South African fielding even further, making it a real concern for Duminy and his men.

#3 Hit: Reeza Hendricks

This was his maiden T20I fifty

The right-handed batsman was the second highest scorer of the match and when he was at the crease, it looked like he would be the one to take his team home.

The South African batsman dominated the proceedings from the second he took guard and refused to let the Indian bowlers settle against his swinging blade. He scored 70 off just 50 deliveries and his knock was powered by eight fours and one massive six over extra-cover.

He eventually fell to a slow delivery wide of the off-stump, which was bowled by Kumar and things just unravelled for the hosts after his dismissal. This was his maiden T20I fifty and he looked perilous in the middle throughout his stay.

#4 Miss: JP Duminy

Duminy, who was the South African skipper for the day, returned to the pavilion after adding just 3 runs

Major guns like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock are missing from the South African team at the moment and the void created by their absence has not been filled by the hosts.

Experienced players like Duminy and David Miller have more responsibility in such circumstances. However, they have failed to step up to the expectations from them so far in the limited overs' series.

Duminy, who was the South African skipper for the day, returned to the pavilion after adding just 3 runs to the scoreboard. He played 7 deliveries to score those runs and fell to a terrific catch by Raina in the deep.

Also, he did not bowl himself in the first innings when India were hitting the ball to all parts. The change might've worked for his team and help restrict the visitors to a relatively smaller total.

#1 Hit: Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan looked at ease throughout his innings at the Wanderers

The Indian opener has been in immense touch on this tour since swapping the whites for the blue jersey. He played some splendid knocks in the ODI series and seems to have carried that form right into the T20 series.

Dhawan looked at ease throughout his innings at the Wanderers. He peppered the Proteas bowling attack to score 72 runs off just 39 deliveries and did so with efficiency. The left-handed batsman looked so comfortable that he would be disappointed not to reach the three-figure mark.

The Delhiite went down on one knee and hit Dala for a lofted on-drive in the 14th over, which most definitely was the shot of the day. That, in itself, says a lot considering the amount and quality of boundaries the Men in Blue hit on the day.

Dhawan contributed in the field as well, seizing two catches to cap a perfect overall performance for himself on the field.