RSA VS IND - 2nd T20I, India tour of South Africa, 2024

So, that's it from our side. South Africa prevailed in a cagey encounter to level the series. Credit to the Proteas and it will do their confidence a world of good. Got to feel for Varun Chakaravarthy - it's rare that you pick up a 5-fer and your team ends up on the losing side. India lost tonight after winning 11 games in a row in this format. They would hope that it was a bad day at office and will be eager to bounce back strongly. The action shifts to Centurion for the next game. Join us to catch all the action. This is Abhinav Guha signing off on behalf of Nikhil Jadhav and Venky. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!

Aiden Markram: I thought we bowled really well, some really good plans and our bowlers executed really well. From the batting point of view, you want to break it at the mid-way stage but it didn't work out. Sometimes when you lose wickets in a cluster it doesn't look pretty. We need to take it on the chin, we are definitely going to keep our brand of cricket going. (On Stubbs and Coetzee) They are coming in after a break, nice to see the fire in their bellies. Really proud of course, the role Simelane and Peter played with the ball was massive. To all the guys on the younger side, they inspired the older guys. We need to take one game at at time. We won this game to level the series and we are happy.

Suryakumar Yadav: You always have to back whatever total you get. Of course, in a T20 game you don't want to get 125 or 140 but I'm proud of the way our boys bowled. (On Varun Chakaravarthy's 5-fer) In a T20 game someone getting a 5-fer defending 125 and in this situation, it's incredible. He worked really hard on his game and he has been waiting for this stage, and everyone enjoyed it. Brilliant performance from him. Two games to go, a lot of entertainment left and it will be fun at Jo'burg.

Tristan Stubbs, Player of the Match: The run rate never got away from us. Coetzee came in and played that innings in the end and we got over the line. He (Coetzee) walked in and said we can win this. It was always two hits away being back to run-a-ball. I just tried to breathe. It's my mom's birthday so there were 20-30 people who came to watch the game. This is my favourite place to play cricket. I was nervous, so I was trying to control by breathing.

Stats by Deepu Narayanan

Most consecutive wins for India in T20Is (including Super Over wins)
12 Nov 2021 - Feb 2022
12 Dec 2003 - June 2024
11 July 2024 - Nov 2024 - streak ended today

Pace vs spin in South Africa innings
Pace: 1/86 in 10 overs (ER 8.60)
Spin: 6/40 in 9 overs (ER 4.44)

Varun Chakravarthy's 5/17 is the best figures for a bowler from a Full Member nation that ended in a defeat in T20Is.
Previous best: 5/22 each by Mustafizur Rahman (vs NZ Kolkata 2016) & Matt Short (vs Eng Cardiff 2024)
Previous best for India: 4/13 each by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vs SA Cuttack 2022) & Ravi Bishnoi (vs Zim Harare 2024)

19:43 Local Time, 17:43 GMT, 23:13 IST: An absolute thirller of a clash at St George's Park and SA have held their nerves to clinch the low-scoring humdinger! It wasn't looking likely that SA would be able to pull it off when they were struggling at 86/7 but Stubbs and Coetzee maintained enormous composure to take their side home. The Proteas did a brilliant job with the ball to restrict India to a slightly under-par score. In reply, Rickelton struck a couple of boundaries but holed out in the deep, courtesy Arshdeep. Chakaravarthy came into bowl in the 5th over and knocked Markram with a googly. He then got rid of Hendricks in his 2nd over. There was some turn and grip on offer and Chakaravarthy made the most of it. Jansen was promoted to No. 5 but the ploy didn't work for SA as he fell to the mystery spinner. Bishnoi kept things tight from the other end. The turning point perhaps was Klaasen's wicket and it was Chakaravarthy once again at the helm of it. Chakaravarthy then got rid of Miller next ball with a googly to pick up his maiden 5-wicket haul in T20Is and finished with outstanding figures of 5/17. But, Stubbs found an able ally in Coetzee. Coetzee got going from the word-go and that eased the pressure of Stubbs. Both of them capitalized on the momentum and stitched 37 off 22 to take their side to a win with an over to spare. Stick around for the presentations...

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, FOUR, Tristan Stubbs finishes it off in style! He is pumped up and why not! He fist pumps his partner and is cock-a-hoop! A brilliant knock under pressure to take his side home. Was a slower short ball on off, Tristan Stubbs waited for it and pulled it through backward square leg to find the fence. The SA players are pleased in the dugout

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, FOUR, the scores are level now! A back of a length ball shaping across Tristan Stubbs. He stands tall and flat-bats it ferociously past mid-on for a rocketing boundary

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, no run, pitched up outside off, Tristan Stubbs leans ahead and drives it on the up but finds extra cover

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, no run, confusion but no harm done! Back of a length ball outside off, Tristan Stubbs punches it to backward point and takes off initially and Gerald Coetzee responds. Tristan Stubbs is quick to send his partner back though and he reaches home safely

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, FOUR, another boundary and the crowd erupts! A length ball outside off, Tristan Stubbs tries to drive it square of the wicket but it flies off the outer half in the gap between backward point and short third

Arshdeep Singh to Tristan Stubbs, FOUR, Tristan Stubbs stays composed and gets the desired result! A slower good length ball cutting across Tristan Stubbs. He shuffles a bit and heaves it over mid-wicket. Bottom hand came off the bat but he got enough on it. 9 needed off 11 now

SA need 13 off 12 balls! The equation is in favour of them now. India need a wicket to tense things up in the SA camp

Avesh Khan to Tristan Stubbs, 1 run, a full-toss shaping in on off, Tristan Stubbs hits it off the inner half to deep square leg to retain strike. 12 runs off the over

Avesh Khan to Gerald Coetzee, 1 run, very full outside off, Gerald Coetzee has a big swing at it and gets a bottom edge. Samson can't stop it cleanly and the batters sneak in a run

Avesh Khan to Gerald Coetzee, no run, good stuff from Avesh Khan! Nails the yorker outside off, Gerald Coetzee tries to carve it square of the wicket but only meets thin air. 15 needed off 14 balls

Avesh Khan to Gerald Coetzee, 2 runs, a low full-toss tailing in, Gerald Coetzee hits it towards wide long-on. The call is for two straightaway and the batters run hard to make it with ease