Sharma’s ton in vain; SA go 1-0 up in India-South Africa Twenty20 series
Rohit Sharma smashed a stunning 66-ball 106 to set up India’s competitive total, but South Africa’s batting line-up carried enough ammunition to upstage the target comfortably to win the opening Twenty20 International in Dharamshala and go up 1-0 in the three-match series.
Opener Sharma lashed 12 fours and five sixes for his maiden T20I century to help the hosts post a challenging 199-5 in the allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first.
The visitors paced the chase well before JP Duminy cracked a 34-ball 68 not out with seven sixes and a four to anchor a spectacular finish to help the visitors win by seven wickets with two deliveries remaining.
India lost opener Shikhar Dhawan run out for three early, but Sharma and Virat Kohli (43, 27b, 1x4, 3x6) put on 138 in just 12.2 overs for the second wicket at a frenetic pace to set the base for a big total.
Sharma reached his fifty with two boundaries off pacer Kyle Abbott, and raced to his century with a boundary and six off successive deliveries off medium pacer Marchant de Lange.
The pair was particularly severe at anything that was erring in length as they tore into Chris Morris, lashing the pacer for a four and six each before Kohli hit leg-spinner Imran Tahir for two sixes and Sharma helped himself to one.
Kohli and Sharma fell to Abbott in the space of three deliveries – the centurion mishit a pull to be caught at long leg by Morris – setting off a collapse, with Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu falling off consecutive deliveries with the score on 184.
Skipper Mahendra Dhoni remained unbeaten on 20 but the hosts could manage only 36 runs off the last four overs.
Hashim Amla (36) and AB de Villiers (51) got South Africa to a 77-run start in 7.4 overs but the tourists lost both openers and skipper Faf du Plessis (4) – who became debutant seamer Sreenath Aravind’s first wicket – for the addition of just 17 runs.
Experienced left-hander Duminy, who pummeled left-arm spinner Axar Patel for three successive sixes in the 16th over, and Farhaan Behardien (32 not out) put on 105 for the unbroken fourth wicket as they launched a calculated assault that shut the door on the hosts.
The second T20I will be held at Cuttack on October 5.
 Brief scores: India 199-5 in 20 overs (R Sharma 106, V Kohli 43) lost to South Africa 200-3 in 19.4overs (H Amla 36, AB de Villiers 51, JP Duminy 68 not out, F Behardien 32 not out).