South Africa 187 for 7 (Miller 63, Brevis 45, Bumrah 3-15) beat India 111 (Dube 42, Jansen 4-22, Maharaj 3-24) by 76 runs
Bumrah, Arshdeep hurt South Africa
It feels like a long time ago, but South Africa’s decision to bat first didn’t look good when Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh ran through the top order. Bumrah was spot on, getting Quinton de Kock with a ball that seamed back in to hit top of leg and bowling a bewitching slower offcutter with the new ball to get rid of Ryan Rickelton. With Arshdeep Singh getting Aiden Markram for the seventh time in the last 51 balls he has bowled at him, India looked unstoppable.
Miller, Brevis show class
Coming in at 20 for 3, it would have been easy for Miller to play the scoreboard and not the conditions. It is a skill we can’t even fathom the enormity of to judge that the conditions are improving and that they need to go for a big score and then to be able to execute it.
Miller, at his home ground in the IPL, used all his experience of the conditions to aim straight, go after spin more than pace, and pull South Africa out of the hole. Before Brevis could join his party, Miller had already raced away to 32 off 17, including a step-hit six and a four off Varun, which does suggest a bit of overpitching thanks to his proficiency off the back foot. Brevis announced him with a no-look six off Varun in the same over.
There was a point when the first seven overs of seam had gone for 3 for 37 as against 3-0-39-0 from spin. This is when India’s sloppiness turned up. That last ball to make it seven overs was a no-ball from Hardik Pandya. Miller hit the free hit for a six. Soon Shivam Dube offered him another free hit, which he again hit for a six to get to fifty.
Between those two free hits, Brevis showed glimpses of his genius, putting paid to Dube’s wide lines with two sixes and a four. Dube had his own back with another Brevis dismissal on the pull for 45 off 29, but followed it up with that no-ball.
Stubbs provides the finish
Varun was headed for his worst analysis in T20Is when he managed to have Miller caught at long-off for 63 off 35, staying seven short of the most he has conceded. The wicket came just before the death overs, allowing Bumrah to bowl at new batters. Bumrah returned two overs for eight runs and the wicket of Corbin Bosch, but Stubbs took toll of the only slightly soft over he could get at the death. Facing all six balls from Pandya in the last over, he hit two sixes off the last two balls to end up with 44 off 24.
Dream start for South Africa
It had been telegraphed, emailed and faxed that Markram would take the new ball against the three left-hand batters at the top. This time Kishan played two balls normally for dots, then tried to go over mid-on, but nearly fell prey to the low bounce of the black-soil pitch. Then he tried to slog across the line, Markram got this ball to grip, and India had lost an opener for a duck in four of their five matches.
India didn’t separate the left-hand batters with Suryakumar Yadav sticking to his comfort zone of No. 4. Varma didn’t quite wait for offspin to do damage as he charged at Jansen first ball and edged a lifting delivery.
The field sets against Abhishek Sharma, who got on the board in World Cup with a four off Markram and then a six and four off Rabada, but South Africa tied him down with clever fields and bowling. In his 12-ball stay, Abhishek played seven false shots. When he connected, there was a deep point and a deep cover in place. The final false shot was a product of that field set and a knuckle ball from Jansen. Abhishek must have thought even half a hit would be good enough with no one out on the leg side, but the knuckle ball stood up off his bat, and Bosch took a sensational catch despite a collision with Maharaj.
Bosch can do now wrong
India promoted Washington Sundar, who played ahead of Axar Patel because of South Africa’s left-hand batters but bowled only two overs for 17. He found himself stuck before edging the first ball he faced from Borch through to the keeper. Soon a length ball down the leg side took the cue end of Suryakumar’s bat for a catch to short midwicket. Surya scored 18 off 22. The asking rate had gone past two a ball four balls he was dismissed.
Strange last quarter
A perplexing sixth-wicket stand followed when Pandya and Dube seemed happy with 30 off 23 balls leading into the drinks break, suggesting they might be taking the MS Dhoni route of narrowing the gap and salvaging the net run rate. However, immediately after drinks everybody wanted to hit a six off every ball, and we had three c Stubbs b Maharaj dismissals in the 15th over.
With no batting left, Dube could do only so much although Miller did drop Dube once to impart the only little blemish on South Africa’s night. It didn’t hurt them much.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo