IND vs SA: Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant maiden 5-fer helps India put South Africa on the backfoot

After posting a below-par total of 124/6, India needed a miracle to win against South Africa at St George's Park in Gqeberha. And that miracle came in the form of Varun Chakravarthy! The spinner finished with figures of 4-0-17-5, claiming his maiden 5-wicket haul. While, as always, Arshdeep Singh drew first blood, it was all Varun Chakravarthy’s show from there on.

ALSO READ | IND vs SA: Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya efforts keep India afloat as Men in Blue end with 124/6 against South Africa

He sent back Reeza Hendricks (24 off 21), Aiden Markram (3 off 8), Marco Jansen (7 off 10), Heinrich Klaasen (2 off 3), and David Miller (0 off 1) in quick succession. Chakravarthy's 5/17 is the joint-best figure for an Indian spinner in T20Is, alongside Kuldeep Yadav's 5/17 against South Africa in Joburg in 2023. It is also the second-best figure against South Africa, behind Umar Gul's 5/6.

4⃣ Overs
1⃣7⃣ Runs
5⃣ Wickets

Varun Chakaravarthy was an absolute rage today! 👌👌

Live ▶️ https://t.co/ojROEpNnzy #TeamIndia | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/QJ6H5uZWYg

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 10, 2024

With Tristan Stubbs and Andile Simelane at the crease, the Proteas will be hoping the pair can guide the hosts to the victory they need. Much will depend on Stubbs and the powerful Gerald Coetzee. South Africa needs 41 runs in 30 balls as they have posted 84 runs and lost 6 wickets in 15 overs.

Earlier, the only saving grace for the Men in Blue was Hardik Pandya's 39 off 45 balls and Axar Patel's 27 off 21. Tilak Varma also contributed with 20 off 20, helping India reach the 120-run mark. The visitors lost Sanju Samson (0 off 3), Abhishek Sharma (4 off 5), and Suryakumar Yadav (4 off 9) within the first 4 overs. Rinku Singh (9 off 11) couldn’t make a substantial impact either.

For the Proteas, aside from Keshav Maharaj, the rest of the bowlers—Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Andile Phehlukwayo, Andile Simelane, and Aiden Markram—each claimed a wicket.

Innings Break! #TeamIndia post 124/6 on the board in the second T20I!

Over to our bowlers! 👍 👍

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/ojROEpNnzy #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/BVH8RycFzN

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 10, 2024

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Avesh Khan

South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter

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