Proteas beat India in 2nd T20I

South Africa rode on some powerful batting by Heinrich Klaasen and Jean-Paul Duminy to defeat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at the SuperSport Park here on Wednesday.

Chasing a formidable target of 189 runs, the hosts romped home with eight balls to spare. The three-match series is now locked at 1-1.


Klaasen brought up his maiden T20I half-century, producing an awe inspiring show of power hitting to plunder 69 runs off just 30 balls.

Duminy remained unbeaten on 64 runs off 40 balls with four boundaries and three sixes.

The South African chase was off to a decent start before J. J. Smuts stepped out to pacer Jaydev Unadkat, only to be surprised by a slower delivery as Suresh Raina picked up an easy lofted catch at cover-point.

Reeza Hendricks handed pacer Shardul Thakur a wicket on his T20I debut when he went after a short piched delivery only to send his mistimed attempt into the hands of Hardik Pandya at deep mid-wicket.

With both opener back in the pavilion after five overs, the hosts seemed to be in deep trouble.

But Heinrich Klaasen and Jean-Paul Duminy brought the South African innings back on track with a 93-run partnership.

Klaasen brought up his half-century in style, hitting Hardik Pandya for a boundary to reach 51 in just 22 balls.

The right-hander went berserk in the next over, smashing Yuzvendra Chahal for two sixes and a boundary to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

Unadkat brought his superb innings to an end in the very next over as Klaasen edged a slow off-cutter to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

David Miller was removed by Pandya in the next over as the Indians looked to make a comeback.

However, Duminy led from the front to take the battle to the Indian bowlers and kept the asking rate within range.

Fittingly, it was the Proteas captain who hit the winning runs. He smashed Unadkat for two consecutive sixes to bring up the victory in some style.

Earlier, India rode on some power packed batting to post 188/4 in their 20 overs.

Manish Pandey was the highest scorer for India with an unbeaten 79 runs off just 48 balls.

His power-packed knock, which included six boundaries and three sixes, provided the late impetus to the Indian innings.

The veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave him excellent support from the other end, remaining unbeaten on 52 runs off a mere 28 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes along the way.

Coming together in the 11th over, the duo added 98 runs between them to carry the visitors to a formidable total.

Fast bowler Junior Dala bowled well on his T20I debut, notching up figures of 2/28.

Asked to bat first, the visitors suffered a scare off the very first ball when Shikhar Dhawan edged a Chris Morris delivery onto his pads.

The umpire had initially ruled the left-hander out but had to reverse his decision after television replays revealed a clear inside edge.

But the Indians' relief was only temporary as Dala struck the first blow for the hosts with a delivery that kept low and trapped and outfoxed Rohit Sharma plumb before the stumps.

However, the arrival of Suresh Raina saw the momentum shift to the Indians' favour as he and Dhawan started to play in an aggressive manner and dominated the South African pacers. The duo kept the Indians on track with a 43-run partnership.

That prompted South African captain Jean-Paul Duminy to come into the attack and the off-spinner had an immediate impact as Dhawan hit his second delivery into the hands of Farhaan Behardien at mid-on.

Dhawan was in good touch, scoring 24 runs off 14 balls with three boundaries and two sixes.

Dala removed Virat Kohli in the next over, outfoxing the Indian skipper with some extra bounce as overjoyed wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen latched onto to the outside edge.

The momentum however, stayed with the Indians as Raina and Manish Pandey added 45 runs between them off the next five overs.

Fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo broke the crucial partnership when he trapped Raina leg before. Raina's 24-ball knock produced 30 runs which included five hits to the fence.

That was the last bit of celebration the hosts will eventually manage as Pandey and Dhoni virtually tore the Proteas' bowling apart.

Brief scores:

South Africa: 189/4 in overs (Heinrich Klaasen 69, Jean-Paul Duminy 64 not out; Jaydev Unadkat 2/42) vs India: 188/4 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 79 not out, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 52 not out; Junior Dala 2/28).


source: news agency

Virat Kohli rues missed chances after Wanderers defeat

JOHANNESBURG: Indian captain Virat Kohli lamented two crucial errors which effectively cost his team a chance of wrapping up the series in the fourth one-day international against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.

"You have to take your chances in this game," said Kohli after David Miller escaped twice in one over at a time when India seemed to have taken control.

South Africa chased down a rain-reduced target of 202 in 28 overs with five wickets and 15 balls to spare to keep alive their hopes of sharing the six-match series after losing the first three games.

But the home team's chances looked slim when returning star AB de Villiers was fourth man out with 100 runs still needed and only 67 balls remaining.

In the next over David Miller, on six, was dropped by Shreyas Iyer at deep square leg off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Back on strike in the same over he missed a sweep and was bowled -- only to be recalled when a replay showed Chahal had sent down a no-ball.

Miller went on to hit 39 and shared a quickfire stand of 72 with Heinrich Klaasen, whose 43 not out off 27 balls earned him the man of the match award.

Two weather interruptions played a key role. India were 200 for two, with Shikhar Dhawan on 107 not out when the threat of lightning caused a stoppage after 34.2 overs.

Dhawan added only two runs after the resumption and India lost five wickets for 89 runs to finish with a slightly disappointing 289 for seven.

South Africa were 43 for one after 7.2 overs when lightning, followed by rain, caused a lengthy delay. They came came back needing another 159 runs off 20.4 overs.

"It basically became a T20 game," said Kohli. "We did not grab our chances so we did not deserve to win."

Indian spinners Chahal and left-armer Kuldeep Yadav, who took 21 wickets between them in the first three matches, conceded a combined 119 runs off 11.3 overs on Saturday as they struggled to control a wet ball against aggressive batting.

"It was nice to put some pressure on the Indians. The message today was to put fear aside," said South African captain Aiden Markram.


Kohli, the star of a series in which India hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead, played another valuable innings, hitting 75 in a second-wicket stand of 178 with Dhawan. His 83-ball innings took Kohli to 393 runs for a series in which he has only been dismissed twice.

It was the third successive big partnership between Dhawan and Kohli. They put on an unbeaten 93 in chasing down a small target in the second match in Centurion and added 140 in setting up a win in the third match in Cape Town.


This time, though, it was the left-handed Dhawan who made the biggest contribution, hitting his 13th ODI century in his 100th match in the format. His 109 runs were scored off 105 balls, with ten fours and two sixes.


source: news agency

Don't know what I would do on the field without intensity: Virat Kohli

CAPE TOWN: Intensity is the hallmark of his batting and India captain Virat Kohli says he has no idea what he would do if that was gone, the primary reason behind his obsessive focus of physical fitness.

The 29-year-old run-machine slammed his 34th one-day hundred in the third ODI against South Africa on Wednesday, once again playing a pivotal role in a massive India win.

"Look I am going to be 30 this year...I want to play this kind of cricket even when I am 34-35. That's why I train so much because I am a guy who likes to play with intensity. Once that is gone, I don't know what I am going to do on the field," Kohli said reflecting on his unbeaten knock of 160, which guided India to a 124-run triumph for an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

"I try to protect that. I try to train as much as I can. Keep a check on my diet. Those things pay off on days like these. When the team needs it, and you stand up, and you are able to pull through. As an athlete you crave for days like these," he added.


Kohli said Wednesday's hundred was special in the sense that he had to continuously change his game through the innings. He said these were hard earned runs on a tough wicket against a good bowling attack.

"International runs are never easy. They are hard earned. Some might come on more batting-friendly pitches, but I think with their attack, and the pace and bounce they were getting initially, you had to adjust your game.

"Then the wicket got considerably slower after the 30th over, so you had to again adjust your game, and make sure, with wickets falling also, that you continued adjusting through the innings," Kohli said.

Kohli said thinking of the team's requirements helps him gloss over the physical strains of playing a marathon knock.

"I was pleased from that point of view that I was able to bat through because I was struggling with a bit of cramp around the 90s. Then wickets kept falling, I decided to hit out, because I thought I might not have enough energy left.

"Then amazing things can happen when you are thinking about the team all the time. You can push your body beyond limits that you might not push yourself otherwise. I experienced that today, and that was an amazing feeling," he added.

This was Kohli's second highest ODI score. He also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Overall, he scored his 12th ODI hundred as Indian skipper, going past Sourav Ganguly's record of 11 centuries.

Kohli said that there is a marked difference in how he approaches scoring runs when batting first and when chasing.

"Today I wanted to accelerate at different times. When Shikhar Dhawan was batting, my job was to take singles...and keep rotating the strike, to be able to get the partnership going. When he got out I wanted to accelerate but we lost 2-3 wickets immediately.

"When batting first, you switch roles -- one guy is aggressor and you become the guy who is rotating strike. When he goes, you take that role up and another guy rotates strike. That is how it is usually done," he said.

While chasing, Kohli said, it is easier to compartmentalise since the target is already there to be chased.

"Batting second is very different in terms of knowing what you need to do, when to accelerate, when to keep those singles coming, etc. Batting first, you want to score as many as possible but sometimes the situation doesn't allow you to play in a certain way that you want to throughout the innings," he explained.

India have now won three matches in an ODI bilateral series in South Africa for the first time. So much so, they are now on the cusp of a series win should they win the fourth ODI in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Given the Proteas' problems against wrist spin though, there is a possibility of a 6-0 scoreline as well, even if Kohli didn't agree to it just yet.

"We have to make sure we're not letting our guard down because we worked really hard from that last Test to win four games in a row on a tough tour of South Africa. We are really proud of ourselves as a team. But I think the job is not even half done yet.

"It's quite a far-fetched thing and still three games to go in the series," he said about the possibility of a 6-0 whitewash.


Kohli promised to up the ante in the remaining three games.

"Biggest positive out of today, with 3-0 up, is that there is no way we can lose the series now. That is certainly something that lifts the team even more. As I said we would have more intensity and more passion when we step out for the fourth game," Kohli signed off.


source: news agency

Captain Kohli leads India to opening win in Durban

DURBAN: Captain Virat Kohli struck a stylish century to lead India to a comfortable six-wicket victory over South Africa in the first one-day international on Thursday and end the hosts’ 17-match winning streak on home soil. 

India amassed 270-4 to reach their target with 27 balls to spare at Kingsmead after South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who won the toss, scored 120 of his side’s 269-8. A record 189–run third-wicket partnership between Kohli, who made 112, and Ajinkya Rahane (79) set up India’s victory at the start of the six-match series.

Kohli reached his 33rd ODI ton off 105 balls while Rahane’s flamboyant knock came off 86 balls.

Their partnership was the highest for the third wicket in an ODI at the Durban venue, beating a two decade-old mark held by Pakistan, and ensured India eased to victory with wickets and overs to spare.

Du Plessis carried his side as his team mates were strangled by India’s wrist spinners, slumping to 134-5 with Kuldeep Yadav the pick of the bunch as he finished with figures of 3-34 in an economical 10-over spell.

Together with Chris Morris (37), Du Plessis piled on late runs to take South Africa to a better than expected total, and hand a sell-out crowd hope but still significantly short of a defendable target.

India have won eight of their previous nine ODIs chasing down a target and Kohli felt his side always in with a chance of doing so again.

“It was a special knock for me because the first game of a series is always important. When we restricted South Africa we knew we needed one partnership to effectively take us home,” Kohli said at the presentation ceremony.

The second game of the series is at Centurion in Pretoria on Sunday. South Africa top the International Cricket Council’s ODI team rankings with India second.

source: news agency

CoA chief Vinod Rai backs under-fire Kohli

KOLKATA: BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai backed under-fire Virat Kohli, saying there is nothing wrong in giving the India skipper a free hand in selection matters.

Kohli was criticised for his bold selection decisions in the ongoing Test series against South Africa with former batsman Virender Sehwag saying there is no one in the dressing room to point out Kohli's mistakes.

However, Rai said there's nothing wrong in giving Kohli a "free hand".

"He has motivated the players. He's very aggressive and systematic on the field. He's doing an excellent job," Rai said.

"A captain should be given a free hand in the matter (of team selection). You can't have a captain being controlled from outside. I think he's given a total free hand and he's been able to mould an excellent team."

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is pushing for an Olympic return of the sport, probably with the T20 version, in the 2024 edition.

But the ICC's hopes hinge on India as without the BCCI approval, the cricket's international body can't dare to make the bid.

Rai said: "It's still under consideration. We will see. It depends a lot on the cricket loving population of the country. What's the kind of cricket they want. It will take place slowly."

Rai also urged former greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev to get into cricket administration.

"I think it's high time that cricketers come into administration too. The pain of playing was demonstrated this year and Sourav will agree," he said while speaking at a session on cricketers at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

"The Lodha Committee has done a very good thing. They have said that one of the members in the BCCI has to be an ex-cricketer. I've been feeling for a long time that people like Sourav, Sachin and Kapil whom I've personally requested come into cricket in a big way.

"They are the people who have come up the hard way. They learnt at every level what it means to be playing cricket. Cricket administration must at least some sprinkling of former cricketers in it to make the game much better in terms of quality."

On the upcoming IPL, he said they are trying their best to maintain the sanctity of the sport as there's an "emotional connect".


"The number of people who follow the sport passionately are Indians all over the place. We would very much like to ensure their interest and trust and the way forward for them is preserved for this country."

He said they would like to nurture the team in a way that they deliver the 2019 World Cup.

source: news agency

Gavaskar questions India's team selection for 2nd Test

CENTURION: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday questioned India's team selection for the second cricket Test against South Africa, saying opener Shikhar Dhawan's "head is always on the chopping board".

India made three changes to their playing XI, with KL Rahul replacing Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma coming in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose three-wicket burst in the first morning of the opening Test rocked the hosts.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out due to a strain and Parthiv Patel was included is his place.

Gavaskar said: "I think Shikhar Dhawan is the 'Bali ka Bakra' (scapegoat). His head is always on the chopping board. He just needs one bad innings and he is out of the team.

"I also don't understand why Ishant came in for Bhuvneshwar when he had taken three wickets on the opening day at Cape Town. Ishant could have replaced Shami or Bumrah but leaving him out, I don't understand."

India were thrashed by 72 runs in the first Test against South Africa at Cape Town. Virat Kohli's men had folded for 135 in their second innings while chasing 208 to win the Test.

Source: News Agency