India will play a three-match T20 series against South Africa just a few days after winning a thrilling T20 series against Australia. The two nations will play one more T20 series before heading to Australia for the T20 World Cup. India has rested a few important players and will probably be without a few more due to injuries. On the other side, South Africa will be allowed to choose from its best team. It's interesting that South Africa and India are in the same T20 World Cup group and hope to keep a few surprises in store. On September 28, 2022, the game would take place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
First T20 Match
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After fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, and Anrich Nortje all took advantage of the hot conditions in Thiruvananthapuram to knock Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul stabilised the Indian innings. Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar earlier did the same thing with better results, knocking the South Africa top order out of the park in the opening four overs. South Africa managed to score 106/8 with some difficulty. Despite the low goal, it appeared as though South Africa could potentially make life difficult for India, but Suryakumar and Rahul controlled the chase and guided India to what turned out to be an easy victory. South Africa had a promising beginning. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were removed early in the innings thanks to their pacers' aggressive start and smart use of the conditions. However, after the spinners entered the attack, India gained the upper hand since they were unable to maintain the pressure. After that, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul put together a 93-run partnership that won the game, with the former acting as the aggressor and Rahul acting as the ideal follow-up. In the end, each batter reached their respective half-centuries. South Africa put up a good fight, but it was never going to be easy for them given that they only scored little over 100 runs. India initially handled the storm well, but after Suryakumar Yadav entered the crease and displayed his variety of shots, everything went swimmingly.
Second T20 Match
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India and SA played their second T20 match on October 2, 2022, and South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first. India's side got off to a fast start after winning the toss, scoring 237 runs in 20 overs while losing just three wickets. Suryakumar Yadav scored the most runs for India during this innings, scoring 61 runs in 22 balls while smacking five fours and five sixes. Following this, the South African squad, which then chose to bat, put up a standout performance, scoring a century from David Miller and a half-century from Quinton de Kock. At the Barsapara cricket stadium, KL Rahul (57) and Rohit Sharma (43) put on a 96-run opening stand to lay the groundwork for India. Suryakumar Yadav (61) then took the stage, smashing five boundaries and as many sixes on his way to a 102-run partnership with Virat Kohli off only 40 balls (49 not out). Then, in his seven-ball 17 not out, Dinesh Karthik delivered some lusty punches. The most effective bowler for South Africa was Keshav Maharaj (2/23), while the rest of his bowling teammates had a terrible day. The wicket-takers for India were Arshdeep Singh (2/62) and Axar Patel (1/53). India trounced South Africa by 16 runs in a high-scoring second T20I on Sunday to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Third T20 Match
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Rilee Rossouw struck his first century as South Africa defeated India by 49 runs in the third and final T20 international on Tuesday, winning the series 2-1 despite the loss. As the Proteas racked up 227-3 before India crumpled up for 178 in response, Rossouw hit 100 not out off 48 balls. Nevertheless, India won the three-match series 2-1. With an impressive victory in the second game on Sunday, India now have the series in their hands. They intend to finish strong by defeating the Proteas in a clean sweep. The joy was fleeting as David Miller delivered the ideal finishing blow for South Africa by clubbing Chahar for three consecutive sixes in the final over. Siraj successfully caught the last of these, however he did so while stepping onto the boundary while still holding the ball. Indian shoulders sagged and didn't straighten out again.
INDIAN TEAM
India's starting lineup is Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. Rohit Sharma is captain.
SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM
Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi make up South Africa's starting XI.
