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A low-scoring thriller saw South Africa hand India their first loss in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 by five wickets at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 30.
With the win, South Africa have now jumped to the top of the points table with one foot firmly in place to seal the qualification spot.
India, who had chosen to bat first, were reduced to 49/5 in the ninth over and could only make it to a gritty 133/9 owing to Suryakumar Yadav's stunning 68. For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi picked up a fantastic 4/24 while Wayne Parnell also chipped in with a great 3/15.
When Arshdeep Singh dismissed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw in his first over, it was apparent that this Perth surface was not going to be easy for the batters. Skipper Temba Bavuma was also toppled, leaving his team in disarray at 24/3 during the powerplay.
However, Aiden Markram and David Miller's partnership of 76 runs not only aided the Proteas' escape from their quandary but also changed the course of the game.
South Africa eventually won the encounter in the last over with five wickets and two balls in hand.
On that note, here are the hits and flops from the highly contested IND-SA T20 World Cup fixture.
#4 Flop - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma had a poor day at the office in multiple departments. While he was India's second-highest run-getter on Sunday, the Indian skipper departed after only making 15 runs off 14 balls.
During the fifth over, Lungi Ngidi banged a short ball to Rohit, who backed away to hit a pull, a shot he often plays well. However, he was undone by the extra bounce and spliced the ball straight to Ngidi.
Rohit's night went from bad to worse during India's fielding as he missed a couple of run-out opportunities as well. Both chances, if taken, would've changed the game in India's favor, with the second of the two being a sitter.
Choosing to give Ravichandran Ashwin the 18th over was Rohit's ultimate contentious act. With two overs of pace left in the bank, Rohit chose Ashwin to deliver. However, the off-spinner leaked 13 runs from that over, which totally shifted the momentum towards South Africa.
#3 Hit - Aiden Markram and David Miller
The two shining lights for South Africa, who bailed their side out of massive trouble and even won them the game, were Aiden Markram and David Miller.
The right-and-left-hand combination did wonders for the Proteas as the duo remained unpertubed despite being in a tense situation.
At 24/3, South Africa desperately needed a partnership and that's when both Markram and Miller stepped up. The pair first made sure that India made no more in-roards in South Africa's batting line-up and batted cautiously.
Straightaway after the drink break, the duo upped the ante and kept scoring boundaries on regular occasions. Markram, who led a charmed life with two dropped catches and a missed run-out, made the most of his reprieves and notched up a much-needed half-century.
Miller's knock of 59* off 46 was equally critical as well, as the southpaw ensured South Africa got over the line and sealed two crunch points as well.
#2 Flop - KL Rahul
KL Rahul had his third consecutive failure of the 2022 T20 World Cup as he continued to underwhelm on the big stage. The Indian opener looked terribly tentative once again as he mustered just nine off 14 balls.
Right from the word go, Rahul looked in his shell as he played out the very first over of Wayne Parnell as a maiden. While the Karnataka batter hit a solitary six in the third over, he didn't show much intent throughout his innings.
Rahul eventually lost his wicket against Ngidi in an attempt to play a vague dab towards the third man. However, he was nicked off to first slip.
It remains to be seen if India will continue to persist with Rahul in their next game as well.
#1 Hit - Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian batter who looked a class apart from everyone else. Arguably the best T20I batter in world cricket presently, the Mumbai lad once again came to the fore and held the Indian innings with utter grace and flamboyance.
On a pitch where all the other Indian batters showed a modicum of application, Suryakumar battled fire with fire and essayed a superlative innings of 68 runs from 40 balls.
Playing his usual exquisite shots, the right-hander clobbered as many as six boundaries and three lusty sixes and struck at a handsome rate of 170. While Dinesh Karthik and Ashwin did hang around for some time, India's innings was all about SKY, who single-handedly kept the Men in Blue in the game.
While Suryakumar has been in outlandish form and has already played some fine knocks in his 35-inning T20I career, his 68 against South Africa will certainly go down as an innings filled with serenity and class.
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