South Africa, on Sunday (February 22), handed the India a 76-run defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium to kickstart their Super 8 campaign in style.
During the first innings of the match, when South Africa was on the batting side and India was on the bowling end, the contest was in a nice balance. In the second innings, India’s fragile batting made South Africa’s path to gain a crucial win easy.
Aiden Markram praised Indian bowlers
After the match, Aiden Markram, the skipper of the South African National cricket team, praised his batters for making the difference between the two teams. Markram acknowledges India’s bowling efforts as well, especially during the powerplays and slog overs. But it was the Proteas batters who were at the top of their game tonight.
“They bowled well up front and at the death, but our batting through the middle was probably the difference. Good effort, but we put two down. The other day against UAE, we were not as connected. That was much better today,” Markram said.
The pitch was not easy to bat: South Africa captain
The winning team captain also stated that the wicket was not easy enough to take shots. The surface was new for them, but the middle-order batters were fast enough to read the pitch timely. As soon as the batters got accustomed to the deck, they delivered.
“Great performance. A different type of wicket from what we have had here. Boys assessed that early and then adapted to their plans. Happy for the bowlers. The start to the competition was tough, but tonight they were brilliant,” the skipper added.
Markram mentioned Dewald Brevis and David Miller for their match turning knocks vs India
Markram specially mentioned Dewald Brevis and David Miller for their crucial partnership after sustaining multiple early blows. Brevis scored 45 off 29, and Miller got 63 runs in 35 balls, which set the tone for the Proteas. Later, Tristan Stubbs walked into the middle to add an unbeaten 44 runs to secure a total of 187 in the first innings, which was enough to outplay India.
“The partnership they (Dewald Brevis and David Miller) put up kept us in the game. Did not feel like the ball was travelling. It was a bit spongy. Trying to hit into space and run hard,” Aiden Markram said.
Chasing the total of 188, India bundled for only 111 in 18.5 overs and allowed South Africa to win the match by 76 runs. Marco Jansen, with 4 wickets and a 5.74 economy rate, was the best bowler in this match.
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