Super Sixes SRL | IND vs SA Evaluation Chart: Rohit, Rahul put on a show to power India to summit
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma put up a 117-run opening partnership as India didn’t have to break a sweat to chase down the 159-run target. Jasprit Bumrah earlier was the leader of the pack in hunting down the Saffers with some ease with Quinton de Kock-led side being restricted to a moderate total.
Match Review
After winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first, a rarity in the SRL, and understandably, struggled in the powerplay phase big-time. After losing Quinton de Kock on the first ball, Rassie Van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma tried to settle things in the middle but failed to up the run-rate. That was further catapulted by Heinrich Klassen’s slow innings in the middle-over phase. Indian bowlers were disciplined and up to the task, which invariably resulted in the African side managing a whole total of 158 runs in 20 overs.
Chasing 159, India found an excellent start from their openers, who added 117 runs for the first wicket. While Rohit started as the enforcer, he let Rahul play his own strokes, which seemed like poetry in motion. Although India lost both Rohit and Virat Kohli in quick succession, that meant for a little, with in-form Shreyas Iyer smashing the leather for fun to guide India to an easy eight-wicket win.
Turning Point
Dale Steyn’s third over in the day was the definite turning point in the game as that one over ensured South Africa losing the plot and never being in the game again. The two overs that followed the powerplay yielded 30 runs with the Indian openers finding it really easy to tonk all the African bowlers around.
Highs and Lows
There has hardly been a better sight in cricket than a fast bowler steaming in, doing the tough job but making batsmen huff and puff. Yes, it was T20 cricket but never really felt so when Jasprit Bumrah and Navdeep Saini were bowling. They were terrific in their approach and mind-bogglingly put the South African batsmen to the task. It was a different high.
The game could have been a lot more interesting had the South African bowlers responded the way as the Indians. That, however, was not to be as Rahul and Rohit put in a shift to add runs by a tickle in the first 11 overs of the run-chase. Was that an opportunity missed? Certainly, as India scampered to a comfortable victory.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: - South Africa 5/10 India 7/10
With Jasprit Bumrah and Navdeep Saini in the Indian side, it is always a task to score runs freely and South Africa endured a tough time out there. After losing Quinton de Kock in the first over itself, the duo of Rassie Van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma sailed the team to 46 runs in the powerplay, a decent task if you care for the Indian duo’s ferocious bowling.
India’s reply was pretty much on the expected lines as the duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were right on the money from the word go. Even though Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn didn’t let the chip go down that easily, the fact that the Indian openers preserved their wickets while scoring at a comfortable run-rate above 9, ensured the remaining game was just a formality for them.
Middle over Manoeuvring: South Africa 6.5/10 India 8/10
It is the phase where South Africa had a great chance of making a comeback but they failed massively. Rassie was trying to up the ante but Heinrich Klassen was so slow that even Shardul Thakur, a typically erratic bowler, dominated them. As a matter of fact, only 68 runs were scored in the nine-over phase, with David Miller helping the cause with a 34-run cameo. It really could have been much much better if Klassen stayed true to his character.
After coming out unscathed in the powerplay, there was an opportunity for the Indian side to pull off a 10-wicket coup, and honestly, for the major part of the game, it seemed to be happening. But then Imran Tahir happened. The CSK spinner managed to dismiss the holy duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in back-to-back overs but honestly, that hardly mattered. India had already scored 79 runs in the process and was in a touching distance of victory by then.
Death Bowling: - South Africa 3/10 India 7/10
Pretty much like the last game against Pakistan, India’s great death bowling performance was reduced to naughts thanks to one bad over. Navdeep Saini gave away 17 runs in the last over itself, which amounted to the 44 runs the Saffers scored in the last five overs of their innings. However, Bumrah was brilliant today, shrugging off the demons of the last game, to restrict the Quinton de Kock-led side to 158/7 in 20 overs.
13 balls, 29 runs and Game! It was all that took for the Rahul-inspired India to finish off the demolition job in some style. There was no meat in the game and Shreyas Iyer found it easy to swing his sword to give the game a romantic finish, in Dhoni style. You can’t fault Tahir for the same too!
Match Frenzy O Meter - Good
The game was filled with its moments -- both from a bowling and batting point of view. Sure enough, it would have been great if the game was competitive but from a neutral stand-point, this was as good as it can get.