Ind v SA, 1st T20I: Arshdeep, Chahar, Yadav fire India to opening win

Vikram Rathour, Batting Coach, Indian Cricket Team addressed a press conference ahead of the first T20I against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram.

© BCCI

India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against South Africa with a eight-wicket win in the opening encounter at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday night.

Earlier at the Greenfield Stadium, South Africa was restricted to 106 for eight in their 20 overs and in response India chased down the target in 16.4 overs to end on 110 for two.

South Africa was in all sorts of trouble as a spicy pitch completely derailed their progress. They lost five wickets within the first three overs to be reduced to nine for five. It required a 33 run sixth wicket stand between Aiden Markram (25) and Wayne Parnell which revived the innings. To some extent the side was moving towards some sanity. The innings then slowed down completely. Towards the end Keshav Maharaj played a superb hand as he made 41 off 35 balls with five boundaries and two sixes. South Africa finished on 106 for eight in their 20 overs. For India the best bowlers were Arshdeep Singh (3-32), Deepak Chahar (2-24) and Harshal Patel (2-26).

In their response, India lost their captain Rohit Sharma cheaply with just nine on board. Virat Kohli fell soon after. The chase was then revived by Suryakumar Yadav. The right-hander joined forces with vice-captain Lokesh Rahul. Together the pair added unbroken 93 runs for the third wicket which put the chase back on track. Yadav played breathtaking shots all around the ground to disrupt South Africa. Yadav finished unbeaten on 50 off 33 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. Rahul on the other hand ended unbeaten on 51 off 56 balls with two boundaries and four sixes. In the end India chased down the target in 16.4 overs to finish on 110 for two.

The two sides play the second T20I of the series on Sunday at Guwahati.

Just a little something for the fans here in Thiruvananthapuram, courtesy Captain @ImRo45! ????#TeamIndia | #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/K1dAWzqdA9

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 28, 2022

Top Tournament Stats 

Top Batter (Runs Scored)

Top Bowler (Wickets taken)

Most Sixes

Match Summary
South Africa: 106-8 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Temba Bavuma-0.6 ov), 2-1 (Quinton de Kock-1.2 ov), 3-8 (Rilee Rossouw-1.5 ov), 4-8 (David Miller-1.6 ov), 5-9 (Tristan Stubbs-2.3 ov), 6-42 (Aiden Markram-7.6 ov), 7-68 (Wayne Parnell-15.5 ov), 8-101 (Keshav Maharaj-19.1 ov)

India: 110-2 (16.4)
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Rohit Sharma-2.2 ov), 2-17 (Virat Kohli-6.1 ov)

SCORECARD

 Result: India won by eight wickets

Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Match Details
Toss: India, elected to field
Venue: Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Start time: 1330 hrs GMT
Match officials: Anil Chaudhary, Nitin Menon (On-field Umpires); Virender Sharma (TV Umpire); Jayaraman Madanagopal (Reserve Umpire); Javagal Srinath (Match-referee)