India inflicted a 61-run defeat on South Africa in the first T20I on Friday at Kingsmead in Durban, riding on a scintillating century from Sanju Samson and some clinical bowling led by spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi. Invited to bat, Samson blazed away to 107 off 50 balls, hitting as many as 10 sixes and seven fours to help India post 202/8.
The spin duo of Chakaravarthy (3/25) and Bishnoi (3/28) then shared six wickets between them to bowl out South Africa for 141 in 17.5 overs. Earlier, Samson became the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is. The opener notched his second T20I hundred off just 47 balls.
His first had come in India's last outing against Bangladesh last month. However, South Africa clawed their way back into the game as they stemmed the flow of runs by picking wickets in the last five overs. Pacer Gerald Coetzee who claimed three wickets was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts.
Earlier, riding on Samson’s hundred, India put on their seventh 200-plus total in T20Is in 2024, thus equalling their own record from 2023. Samson added 66 runs in just 5.5 overs with Suryakumar Yadav (21) and another 77 with Tilak Varma (33) in 5.4 overs.
However, once Samson was dismissed, India could manage only 35 runs in the last five overs, which could cost them dearly in the long run. Both teams now head to St George's Park in Gqeberha for the second game on Sunday.
South Africa's Middle Order Fails To Fire
South Africa lost three wickets in the powerplay as Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Chakaravarthy all struck. While David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen were in the middle at the end of that period, Chakaravarthy and Bishnoi ensured that they could hardly score at their regular rate. Both batters fell to Chakaravarthy in the 12th over after which Bishnoi got two wickets as well in the 13th over, thus all but ending any chances South Africa had of chasing the target down. While Gerald Coetzee provided some late entertainment to the crowd, Avesh Khan finished it off by cleaning up Keshav Maharaj.
Sanju Samson's Century
Sanju Samson earlier became the first Indian batter to score centuries in two consecutive T20I matches. Samson raced to his century in just 47 balls and his innings included seven fours and a whopping 10 sixes. It was a bit of a procession of wickets after he was dismissed by Nqabayomzi Peter in the 16th over and India finished their innings on 202/8. Samson had earlier got his half-century in just 27 balls as he and Suryakumar Yadav gave the visitors an explosive start. Suryakumar then fell at the end of an extraordinarily long over filled with extras from Patrick Kruger after which Tilak stood with Samson as he raised his century. South Africa captain Aiden Markram earlier won the toss and chose to bowl first at Kingsmeade.
A Rematch of the T20 World Cup Final
In what could be a high-octane rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, South Africa are preparing to host India at Kingsmead in Durban as the two teams begin their four-match T20I series to kick off South Africa’s big home summer. Although there are plenty of personnel changes between that tense and famous World Cup final and the teams that will be put out onto the field on Friday, there will still be the air of this being something of a revenge series for the Proteas following the heartbreak at Barbados.
The Indian Team
The visiting India team will be captained by Suryakumar Yadav, and will have a range of their own changes throughout the lineup. A powerful and destructive opening partnership of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will be tasked with getting the powerplay off to a powerful start, comfortable with the pace and bounce that will be on offer throughout the series.
Tilak Varma is expected to get a start, likely at number three, after a few months away from the team while other players got their chance. Tilak will want to use this opportunity to stake his claim as one for India’s white-ball future. Meanwhile captain Suryakumar will keep his preferred number four position in the middle order. Hardik Pandya seems to have hammered home the number five with his ability to contribute on two fronts, and allows for Rinku Singh to bat at number six as an out-and-out finisher for this Indian team. There is plenty of power on offer in this Indian lineup, but in a transitional phase, they will want to start seeing consistency from the likes of Abhishek and Samson.
In the bowling department, Axar Patel will likely be the spinning all-rounder at number seven, offering batting depth and control, but will be wary of being taken apart as he was in Barbados by Klaasen. India will likely have an all-rounder of their own debuting — will it be the batting-first Ramandeep Singh, who also provides a dynamic presence in the field, or the more typical number eight in Vijaykumar Vyshak? Vyshak’s offers slightly more with ball which might see him get the nod initially, but expect both players as well as Yash Dayal to get their debuts on this tour.
Finally, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan are two players who are expected to start for India, and their death bowling will be under scrutiny against South Africa’s powerful batting.
The South African Team
The hosts will be captained still by Aiden Markram, but will be looking to replace Quinton de Kock who has ruled himself out of the series. While de Kock isn’t officially retired from the T20I format, CSA will be looking at alternatives for their talismanic left-handed opener.
Beyond the questions of how a Reeze Hendricks-Ryan Rickleton opening duo might look, South Africa’s middle order will remain their strength. Aiden Markram at number three will be followed by a terrifying 4-5-6 in the form of Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller. The trio threatened to win the World Cup final for South Africa, and in home conditions, are capable of setting fire to even the most high-quality bowling lineups. Proficient against both spin and pace, India’s largest concern will be how to dismiss the trio before they can cause too much damage in the death overs.
South Africa also are expected to hand a debut for Durban native Andile Simelane, an all-rounder who could extend the batting order, which was the concern for the Proteas and their ultimate Achilles heel in Barbados. On the bowling front, they will be without Kagiso Rabada, who they have rested for upcoming Tests, as well as Anrich Nortje. A combination of Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman, and Marco Jansen will likely be the frontline pacers, while Keshav Maharaj will be their spinner at Kingsmead.
A Hotly Contested Series
Whatever the combinations, power-hitting and plenty of highlights will be on offer as these two teams pit their titans against each other in the first match of what promises to be a hotly-contested series in South Africa.
A Series That Will Be Monitored Closely By The IPL Scouts
The series also serves players from both teams to step up and show their caliber ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction that is set to take place on November 24 and 25 in Saudi Arabia.
