Our Bureau
Johannesburg
A five-wicket haul by birthday boy Kuldeep Yadav and record-equalling fourth T20I ton by Suryakumar Yadav helped India secure a 106-run win over South Africa in the third and final T20I at Johannesburg on Wednesday. India has ended the series level at 1-1. The first match was called off due to rain.
Team India kept delivering heavy blows, with Arshdeep removing Heinrich Klaasen (5) after being caught by Rinku Singh at the leg side and skipper Markram for 25 off 14 balls, with three fours and two sixes. Yashasvi Jaiswal took the top edge by Markram, reducing Proteas to 42/4 in 6.1 overs.
Spinners continued to dominate Proteas as Kuldeep clean bowled Donovan Ferreira (12) and Jadeja removed Andile Phehlukwayo for a duck. SA sunk to 82/6 in 11 overs. Kuldeep destroyed the Proteas lower-order and also got the wicket of David Miller (35 in 25 balls with two fours and two sixes). Proteas were bundled out for 95 in 13.5 overs.
Kuldeep (5/17) was the leading bowler for India. Jadeja took two wickets while Arshdeep and Mukesh got one each.
Earlier, a record-equalling fourth T20I century by Suryakumar Yadav and a century stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India pile up 201/7 in 20 overs in the third and final T20I of the three-match series against South Africa at Johannesburg on Thursday.
Putting India to bat first, South Africa made debutant Nadre Burger deliver the first over and he was smashed for three fours by Shubman Gill.
In the next over, Markram was launched for two fours and a six by Yashasvi Jaiswal. With India at 29/0 in two overs, it seemed that they were setting up for something big.
But in the next over, Keshav Maharaj’s spin pushed India to the backfoot, removing Gill for 12, continuing his disappointing run in the shortest format. On the next ball, Tilak Varma was also dismissed for a golden duck. India was 29/2 in 2.2 overs.
However, runs kept flowing for India as Yashasvi joined forces with skipper Suryakumar Yadav and they continued hitting fours and sixes with the same positive intent.
India was 87/2 in 10 overs, with Jaiswal (46*) and Suryakumar (26*) unbeaten. After the halfway mark, Suryakumar went on a six-hitting spree, Jaiswal in meanwhile reached his third T20I fifty in just 34 balls. Andile Phehlukwayo was at the receiving end of some brutal hitting from Suryakumar as he was smashed for three sixes and a four in the 13th over. Suryakumar reached his 18th T20I fifty in 32 balls.
The duo also brought up their 100-run partnership in just 63 balls.
Shamsi’s spin once again yielded a breakthrough, removing Jaiswal for 60 off 41 balls, with six fours and three sixes. With this stand of 112 runs over, India was at 141/3 in 14 overs.
Suryakumar reached his fourth T20I century in just 55 balls, with seven fours and eight sixes. But he was dismissed by Lizaad Williams on the next ball, with Matthew Breetzke taking the catch near the boundary. India was 194/5 in 19.2 overs.
“I am walking, so it’s good”: SKY updates on injury scare
Following his side’s 106-run win over South Africa in the second T20I, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav gave fans an update on his injury scare, saying that his ankle is fine and he can walk.
Suryakumar’s record-levelling fourth T20I ton and Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul helped India beat Proteas by 106 runs in the third T20I to end the series 1-1. The batter had an injury scare, twisting his ankle while fielding.
“I am good. I am walking, so good. Always a good feeling. When it comes to a winning cause, it makes me happier. We wanted to play some fearless brand of cricket. The idea was to bat first, put some runs on the board and defend. The boys work day in and day out. Happy that they showed some character. He(Kuldeep) is never happy. He is always hungry. It is a nice self-gift on his birthday. I mean it is important to know your game. I just go out there and enjoy myself. The balance is important,” said Suryakumar in a post-match presentation.
Suryakumar walked away with the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards for scoring a fifty and a century in two matches.
Virat, Rohit should be in T20 World Cup team: Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said on Thursday that senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should play in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which will be held in West Indies and USA next year.
Rohit and Virat have not been part of India’s T20I team since last year’s 10-wicket loss to England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semifinals in Australia in November. Youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are being tried out in their absence and prepared for the future.
“I think both Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) should be there in the World Cup…I think a good combination would be possible only when you have good senior players too with the youth. Virat and Rohit have a lot of mettle in them…I think they should play,” Harbhajan told ANI.
Statistically, Virat and Rohit are two of the best T20I batters. In 115 matches, Virat leads the run-scoring charts with 4,008 runs at an average of 52.73, with one century and 37 fifties. His best score is 122* and his strike rate is 137.96.
Rohit is the second-highest run scorer in the format, having scored 3,853 runs at an average of 31.32 and a strike rate of 139.24. His best score is 118. He has four centuries and 29 fifties in the format.
In the Caribbean, Virat has played 33 international games and scored 1,597 runs at an average of 49.90, with six centuries and seven fifties. His best score here is 200.
Similarly, Rohit in this region has played 29 international matches, scoring 1,004 runs at an average of 50.20, with one century and nine fifties. His best score is 103.
On India playing a young team during the tour of South Africa for a white-ball leg of the series, Harbhajan Singh said that youngsters should be given time to learn since playing in South Africa is not easy, especially for bowlers. He also said that people get judgemental about teams on the basis of results too soon and it should change.
“This is a young team; I think we should give them some time. We are very result-oriented, and our team is good only if they give results. That is not the case. I think that if we give them time, they will obviously learn. We will have to change ourselves a little as we judge teams on results too quickly..Results take time. This team is in the process. South Africa is not an easy place to play, especially for bowlers,” said the former spinner.
Iyer retained as KKR captain ahead of IPL 2024
Shreyas Iyer has been retained as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year.
KKR took to X to announce Shreyas as the skipper of the franchise. Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR, announced that lyer will continue to captain KKR while southpaw Nitish Rana will serve as his deputy.
Making the announcement, Venky was quoted as saying in a KKR release, “It was indeed unfortunate that Shreyas missed IPL 2023 due to injury. We are delighted that he’s back and at the helm as Captain. The way he has worked hard to recover from his injury and the form he has displayed is a testament to his character. We are also grateful that Nitish had agreed to step into Shreyas’s shoes last season and did a great job. There’s no doubt Nitish as Vice Captain will support Shreyas in every possible way for the benefit of Team KKR.”
On being entrusted with the top job for the next edition of the IPL, Shreyas said, “I believe the last season presented us with several challenges, including my absence due to injury. Nitish did a great job not only filling in for me but also with his commendable leadership. I am delighted that KKR has named him Vice Captain. No doubt it will strengthen the leadership group.”
The versatile batter has grabbed every opportunity to feature in the playing eleven with both hands, establishing himself as a mainstay in the Indian middle-order after a sensational run in the World Cup earlier this year.
The team management has also been investing in him as a successor to Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, both of whom are in the twilight of their careers in the red-ball format.
In white-ball cricket, Iyer has been a model of consistency and is a joy to watch, especially when it comes to negotiating spinners.
He has established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the last few years.
In T20Is, Iyer has scored 1,104 runs in 51 matches and 47 innings at an average of 30.66, with eight half-centuries and best score of 74*.
His runs came at a strike rate of over 136.
