Cricket

Barabati T20I: Klaasen Silences Capacity Barabati Crowd As SA Conquer India Again

By
Amitava Dasgupta

Cuttack: If it was Killer Miller the other night at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla, South Africa found another matchwinner in ‘super-sub’ Heinrich Klaasen at Barabati Stadium here on Sunday as they beat India by 4 wickets with 10 balls to spare for a 2-0 lead in the five-game series.

It was India’s second defeat in two T20Is against the Proteas at Cuttack.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Klaasen, playing only because Quinton de Kock missed the game with an injury, was in murderous mood on a pitch where all other batsmen struggled to score freely. Coming to the crease with South Africa in trouble after India posted a modest 148/6, Klaasen silenced the capacity crowd with 81 off 46 balls which included 5 towering sixes and 7 fours.

One had to feel for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose quite brilliant returns of 4/13 in 4 overs went futile.

Bhuvi gave India just the kind of start they needed while defending a modest total, taking a wicket in each of his first three overs. The master of swing moved the ball both ways to rattle the stumps of Reeza Hendricks (4) and Rassie van der Dusssen (1), besides having Dwaine Pretorius (4) caught superbly in the deep by Avesh Khan.

At 29/3 in the 6th over, India looked to have bounced back strongly from an ordinary batting performance.

But then came Klaasen. Playing only because Quinton de Kock missed the game with an injury, the wicketkeeper-batsman produced an innings of class to take the match away from the home team. He first steadied the innings with a crucial 64-run partnership with skipper Temba Bavuma, who made a useful 35 off 30 balls.

Klaasen, sweating profusely and showing signs of exhaustion in extremely humid conditions at Cuttack, carried on to take the side to the brink of victory. Miller finished it off with a couple off part-time bowler Shreyas Iyer.

Earlier India, put into bat first after Rishabh Pant lost his second successive toss, were dealt an early blow when Ruturaj Gaekwad was sent back by Kagiso Rabada in the very first over.

Ishan Kishan, who played a stellar knock in the first T20I, took his time on a pitch where strokeplay wasn’t easy. The left-hander still found his range, striking 3 sixes and 2 fours in a 21-ball 34.

Shreyas struggled to find his free-flowing rhythm but stuck it out to score 40 off 35 balls.

Skipper Pant and Hardik Pandya couldn’t get going against the likes of Rabada and Wayne Parnell, and it was a late onslaught by Dinesh Karthik (30 not out off 21 balls, 3×4, 2×6) that gave India a fighting total.

Rabada and Parnell were the best bowlers, bagging a wicket each conceding just 15 and 23 runs, respectively. The other wicket-takers were Anrich Nortje (2/40), Dwaine Pretorius (1/40) and Keshav Maharaj (1/12).

Scores: India 148/6 in 20 overs. South Africa 149/6 in 18.2 overs.

Result: South Africa won by 4 wickets.

Series: South Africa lead 2-0, with 3 games left.

Amitava Dasgupta

Recent Posts

Bangladeshi Girl ‘Trafficking’ Case In Odisha: Couple Arrested For Forcing Her Into Prostitution

Cuttack: After rescuing a minor Bangladeshi girl, Madhupatna Police in Odisha’s Cuttack city have arrested…

November 25, 2024

2nd Maharashtra Tigress Zeenat Released Into Core Area Of Similipal In Odisha

Baripada: Ten days after being put in a soft enclosure inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)…

November 25, 2024

Odisha GDP Suspends Jonk Police Station IIC For Dereliction Of Duty

Nuapada: Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Jonk police station in Odisha’s Nuapada district, Gurudev Karmi, has…

November 25, 2024

IPL Auction: KKR Break Bank For Venkatesh On Lucrative Day For Indian Players; Check Top Buys

Mumbai: The first day of the IPL mega player auction at Jeddah threw up several…

November 24, 2024

Odisha Govt Hands Over Case Of Attack On Dharmasala MLA To Crime Branch

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has handed over the investigation into the attack on Dhramasala MLA…

November 24, 2024

Commissionerate Police Issues Traffic Advisory During Winter Session Of Odisha Assembly; Details Here

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate of Police on Sunday issued an advisory for movement of vehicular traffic…

November 24, 2024

Elon Musk Proposal: Fire US Federal Employees Who Want To Work From Home

New York: Now that President-elect Donald Trump has tasked Elon Musk with the responsibility of co-heading…

November 24, 2024

Odisha Govt Warns Of Stern Action For Renting Out Its Quarters

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has warned its employees of stern action for sub-letting their allotted…

November 24, 2024