South Africa defeated India by 51 runs in the second T20I of the five-match series at New Chandigarh. South Africa posted 213/4 in 20 overs, led by a superb innings from Quinton de Kock. Donovan Ferreira added a late surge with an unbeaten 30 off 16. Their efforts lifted South Africa to a big total. De Kock missed his century by 10 runs. Varun Chakaravarthy (2/29 in 4 overs) was India’s most successful bowler. Axar Patel also took one wicket.
While chasing, South Africa’s fast bowlers struck early and removed three Indian batters in the first four overs. Two dismissals looked straight out of a Test match, as both Indian openers fell to movement off the pitch. At 32/3, India faced a steep uphill task. They never truly threatened South Africa’s total. Tilak Varma’s fiery innings was the only highlight of India’s chase. South Africa bowled India out with five balls remaining, with Ottneil Baartman taking three wickets in the 19th over to seal the win. With this victory, South Africa levelled the series 1-1.
De Kock Dominates With Six-Hitting
The surface did not play like an easy batting track. It stopped occasionally and forced some mistimed strokes. Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram managed a combined 37 off 36 balls in the top order. But de Kock batted with complete control and aggression.
He punished anything too short, too full, or too straight. He kept clearing the ropes with strong pull shots and smart pick-up strokes behind square on the leg side. India had no clear plan. They could not bowl at his stumps because he would flick them away for six. They could not give him width either.
This pressure forced India into trying yorkers and wide yorkers. Dew made their task harder. Errors followed. The wides and full-tosses kept rising, especially for Arshdeep Singh, who bowled seven wides in the 11th over alone.
Ferreira and Miller Lift the Finish
India had a brief opening when Jitesh Sharma ran out de Kock in the 16th over. De Kock wandered out of his crease after bottom-edging the ball, and Jitesh reacted instantly. Axar Patel dismissed Dewald Brevis in the next over, raising hopes of restricting South Africa.
However, Ferreira and David Miller ensured a big finish. They added an unbeaten 53 off just 23 balls. The final over produced 18 runs. Ferreira smashed Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes — one from a full toss drilled straight and another from a short ball that he pulled with authority. Bumrah conceded four sixes in total, the most he has ever given in a T20I innings.
New-Ball Magic From Ngidi and Jansen
South Africa needed early wickets because dew could make bowling difficult later. They achieved that perfectly. Lungi Ngidi set the tone with a superb first-ball dismissal of Shubman Gill. The ball straightened from a good length and caught the edge, flying to slip.
Marco Jansen repeated the same pattern against Abhishek Sharma in the next over. He angled the ball in, straightened it, squared up the batter, and forced the outside edge. Abhishek’s wicket mattered because he had already hit two sixes in eight balls.
Suryakumar Yadav fell in the fourth over. He edged Jansen behind the wicket while trying to glide the ball past point. South Africa reviewed the not-out call and got the decision reversed.
Tilak Varma Shines Amid Collapse
India never looked in control. Axar Patel, promoted to No. 3, and Hardik Pandya struggled to score freely. They managed only 41 runs off 44 balls together.
Tilak Varma, however, batted with confidence. He settled quickly and used the field well. He found boundaries even when partners at the other end got stuck. Against Ferreira’s quick offspin, he created room to steer the ball behind point. Against George Linde, he dropped his back knee and reverse-swept a six over backward point. He reached his fifty in 27 balls by slog-sweeping a slower ball from Ngidi.
Jitesh Sharma also contributed 27 off 17 by scoring behind the wicket. But India needed 96 from 34 balls when he arrived. The match was already out of reach.