2nd T20I: De Kock, Baartman star as South Africa level series with 51-run win over India (ld)
South Africa clinched a hard‑fought 51‑run win to level the second T20I series against India, thanks to a blistering 90 off 46 balls by Quinton de Kock and a tidy 4‑24 from Ottniel Baartman. The match, played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Thursday, saw the Springboks post 213/4, with de Kock’s powerful innings featuring five fours and seven sixes and an 83‑run stand with skipper Aiden Markram that will certainly catch IPL recruiters eye.
India tried to rally after losing two wickets to Varun Chakaravarthy, but South Africa tightened their grip in the final overs. David Miller and Donovan Ferreira added 53 runs off just 25 balls, pushing the score beyond 210. The Indians’ chase fell apart early after the dismissal of Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav, and the rest of the batting lineup couldn’t recover the lost momentum.
Tilak Varma stood out for India, smashing 62 off 34 balls, but the lack of support from his teammates meant India were bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs. South Africa’s bowlers applied relentless pressure, using cutters effectively and bowling only five wides in an otherwise tough session that yielded 15 extras for India, seven of which came from Arshdeep Singh. Baartman, along with Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, and Lutho Sipamla, each took two wickets.
De Kock set a fast start, demolishing Arshdeep early with two sixes and a four in the third over, and shared a thunderous partnership with Reeza Hendricks, who each hit a pulled six off Jasprit Bumrah. Chakravarthy broke the first wicket, taking Hendricks out with a slick delivery, and continued to dominate him by taking him out on two more occasions in quick succession. Despite the pressure, de Kock reached his half‑century on a leg‑side whipped ball, then powered a maximum off Axar Patel.
Markram found his rhythm briefly, smashing a couple of sixes, but his attempt to hit another took a nasty swing into the deep mid‑wicket, ending his innings. Jitesh Sharma was the last wicket for India, catching the ball slickly on the left side to break the stumps.
During India’s run chase, Gill was out for a golden duck to a sharp delivery from Ngidi, and Abhishek was dismissed out of bounds by Jansen. Axar and Varma tried to salvage the match, with Varma hitting a spectacular six off Sipamla and pulling a six from Jitesh Sharma. However, South Africa’s bowlers kept breaking partnerships, and the Indian side collapsed after their wickets were repeatedly turned over by the bowlers. The Springboks finished comfortably behind 210, sealing a 51‑run victory that tied the series.
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