An unbeaten 47 from Tristan Stubbs and a 42-run partnership with Gerald Coetzee saw South Africa pick up the line for a three-wicket win over India in the Twenty20 international at St George’s Park on Sunday.
South Africa scored 128-7 in 19 overs in reply to India’s 124-6 to level the four-match series at 1-1 in a dramatic finish after their first run was dismissed by Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took a career-best 5. -17.
Stubbs and Coetzee chased down a 40-run target in three swashbuckling overs batting at the death to salvage the result when it looked like India would pull off an unlikely victory.
The visitors had come into bat and struggled to deal with the South African attack, losing wickets cheaply before Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 39 gave them a total to try to defend.
India captain Sanju Samson, who scored a scintillating century as the tourists beat South Africa by 61 runs in Durban on Friday, Marco Jansen bowled three balls in Sunday’s match, while Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav also departed early.
Tilak Varma (20) and Axar Patel (27) contributed to India’s total, although South Africa would be confident of chasing the target when they came to bat in reply.
But their top order was undone by a masterful bowling display from Varun, whose charm bamboozled the home batsmen and gave India the upper hand.
He got Aiden Markram (3), Reeza Hendricks (24) and Marco Jansen (7) before catching the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen, who clipped a full delivery, caught by Rinku Singh at long off. His next ball saw Varun fool David Miller, first ball, to reduce South Africa to 66-6.
Hopes alive
With Stubbs still at the crease, the hosts’ hopes were still alive and when Coetzee joined him at the crease at 86-7, they set about pulling the hosts out of a hopeless situation.
“Thankfully the run rate never got away from us,” Stubbs said.
“I had 30 in mind to get off the last three, and the coolness came in to help us as well [Coetzee] came in and said “We can win this”. We were always two strikes away, the crowd was behind us and it was amazing.”
Fast bowler Coetzee led the way with 19 runs off nine balls in a display of luscious batting that changed the momentum of the match, while Stubbs saw South Africa win back-to-back fours to finish with 47 off 41 balls.
“Obviously in a T20 game you don’t want to get 120 but I was proud of the way we bowled,” Yadav said.
The next meeting will be in Pretoria on Wednesday.
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