NEW CHANDIGARH: South Africa levelled the T20I series with a commanding 51-run victory over India in the second match on Thursday, driven by Quinton de Kock’s explosive innings and Ottneil Baartman’s decisive four-wicket haul.
The result marked India’s largest defeat by runs at home in T20 Internationals.
Asked to bat first in Chandigarh, South Africa’s openers set the tone with 38 runs in the opening four overs. Varun Chakravarthy broke the stand with a sharp googly that bowled Reeza Hendricks, but De Kock continued unfazed.
The left-hander raced to his fifty in just 26 balls, eventually smashing 90 off 46 deliveries—his highest score against India—with five fours and seven sixes. His 83-run partnership with Aiden Markram pushed the visitors to an imposing 213/4. De Kock fell short of a century after a smart run-out by Jitesh Sharma, but the damage had been done.
India’s chase faltered early as Shubman Gill departed for a golden duck, followed by quick strikes from Marco Jansen that removed Abhishek Sharma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav. Tilak Varma counterattacked with a fluent 62 off 34 balls, bringing up his half-century in 27 deliveries, but the wickets around him continued to tumble.
