South Africa beat India by 9 wickets in 3rd T20I, level series 1-1

Speed Post News Network

Patna : South Africa (SA) crushed India by 9 wickets in the 3rd T20I at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka, inflicting a demoralising defeat on the hosts and level the three-match series 1-1 with the first match being washed away due to rain.

Chasing a target of 135 runs, SA scored 140/1 in 16.5 overs with captain Quinton de Kock (wk) scoring an unbeaten 79 in 52 balls hitting 6 fours and 5 sixes and Temba Bavuma scoring an unbeaten 27 in 23 balls with 2 fours and a six. Bavuma hit the winning six off the bowling of spinner Krunal Pandya. Opener Reza Hendricks fell to Hardik Pandya for 28 in 26 balls with 4 fours when the team score was 76. Quinton de Kock and Bavuma added 64 runs in 40 balls for the 2nd wicket in an unbroken partnership.

Earlier electing to bat after winning the toss, India scored just 134/9 in 20 overs with South Africa fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Beuran Hendriks running through the Indian batting lineup in partnership with spinners Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Rabada took 3/39 while Beuran Hendricks, 29, took 2/14. Fortuin took 2/19 in 3 overs while Shamsi took 1/23. For India, opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 36 with 4 fours and 2 sixes while Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja scored 19 each. Captain Virat Kohli and opener Rohit Sharma scored 9 runs each. It was a pathetic batting display by the Indian batsmen.