Port Elizabeth: Second T20 match was a total wash out for Team India as they could not chase a small total of 124. Deathly bowling performance by Graeme Smith and Peterson halted India for 124 after a blistering display in Durban. But South Africa too had the same fate of not being able to chase the total but they eventually got it in 19 overs.
It was thus India’s top-order, which nosedived its total, that bore substantial responsibility for the loss. However, controversy was added to Hardik Pandya in the final over as he got out of recklessness in the last power plays when he should have focused on accumulation.
India, playing first lost explosive players like Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav at early stages and was 45 for 4. At this time, Hardik Pandya came in. Axar Patel was able to rotate the strike a bit, but Pandya failed to get going. Although Axar Patel was caught and run out later, and Rinku Singh fell very early with no risk, the whole dependence came on Pandya who scored his first boundary after facing 28 balls.
Pandya struggling with partners , Arshdeep Singh came to bat with Pandya in the middle in the second half of the 16th over. Everyone waited for Pandya to come and bat. A few times he got off the hook but he was not forceful enough as circumstances required him to be. There was an event in the 19th over which ultimately became a factor in the argument.
At the beginning of the last over of the power play, Pandya came on strike and Arshdeep Singh took one. Pandya then loudly ordered Arshdeep to, “Now just stand there and enjoy the show.” This statement recorded with the stump mic on live television meant that Arshdeep should only sit and watch while Pandya hits boundaries. Regrettably for India this plan boomeranged. All the three balls went wide off and Pandya could only manage a leg bye on the last ball of that over.
The same storey carried on to the last over, and Pandya failing to hit the boundary on the first four balls, decided not to take three singles. He then had the misfortune of scoring a double and a boundary from the last two balls respectively, by then the damage had already been inflicted. However, Pandya’s 45 balls, 39 runs cameo just let India fall short of what could have been a par score.
A Costly Mistake
To be clear, Arshdeep was not entirely green; he had taken 7 off 6 and they included a six. It stopped us extending the advantage and getting those valuable runs for a change that might have sealed the deal for India. Each ball matters in T20 cricket more so when you are batting first, and Pandya’s reluctance to allow Arshdeep take balls was costly.
Overall, Pandya was slow with his scoring and made some very wrong decisions throughout the match which overshadowed what was otherwise a spirited fight from the Indian side and South Africa won with an over to spare.
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