South Africa beat India by 5 wickets in both teams' third Group 2 match of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.
South Africa now lead Group 2 with 5 points from 3 matches, India are second with 4 points from as many games.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed 68 (40) while Lungi Ngidi picked 4/29 as India posted 133/9 after Rohit Sharma elected to bat first.
David Miller and Aiden Markram struck half-centuries as South Africa chased down the total in 19.4 overs.
Four wickets from Lungi Ngidi, and crucial fifties from David Miller and Aiden Markram guided South Africa to a five-wicket win over India in both teams' third Group 2 match of the 2022 T20 World Cup, at Perth.
Chasing 133, South Africa rode on an unbeaten 59 off 46 balls from Miller, while Markram hit 52 off 41 deliveries to the team past the finish line. With the victory, the Proteas have now climbed to the top of Group 2.
Batting first, Suryakumar Yadav played saviour for India, smashing a strokeful 60 off 40 deliveries to help the team post 133/9 following a sensational spell of pace bowling from the South African quicks that saw the Men in Blue reduced to 49/5 in 8.3 overs.
Lungi Ngidi proved to be the wrecker in chief for the Proteas, finishing with an impressive 4/29 while Wayne Parnell picked three wickets (3/15) as they troubled the Indian batters with hard-lengths and extra bounce.
Suryakumar Pulls Off Rescue Act As Ngidi, Parnell Impress
India lost skipper Rohit Sharma (15), KL Rahul (9) and Virat Kohli (12) under seven overs following a fiery new-ball display by Ngidi, who came into the South African playing XI in place of leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.
There was no end to India’s batting miseries as they lost Deepak Hooda for a duck and Hardik Pandya (2) soon after to reel at 49/5 after 8.3 overs.
However, man-in-form Suryakumar Yadav stood his ground at the other end and stitched a 52-run partnership with Dinesh Karthik for the sixth wicket – India's highest in the game to take their score past the 100-run mark.
Wicket-keeper batter Karthik perished later, making six runs off 15 balls. Ravichandran Ashwin (7) stayed for a while, but he too fell as Suryakumar continued to play his rescue act.
Suryakumar’s departure (68 off 40 balls) in the last ball of the penultimate over, however, ended India’s hopes of a big total but they still managed to posted a decent total of 133/9 in 20 overs.
Ngidi was the pick of the South African bowlers, taking four wickets while Wayne Parnell bagged three and offered good support.
Miller, Markram Star in Successful Proteas Chase
Following Arshdeep Singh's excellent new ball spell that reduced South Africa to 3/2 after 1.3 overs, Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma took on a cautious approach to get their side back into the game.
Bavuma (10) did not last long as was dismissed a few overs later by Mohammed Shami as David Miller walked onto the crease.
From there on, Markram and Miller steered the South African innings forward as they shared a vital 76-run fourth wicket partnership to put their side ahead.
India failed to capitalise on a few opportunities and made mistakes on the fields which further helped the Proteas cause.
South Africa however, lost Markram as he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Pandya in the 16th over to depart for 52.
Miller smacked successive sixes off Ashwin's first two balls in the 18th over - a straight loft down the ground was followed by smashing hard over wide long-off.
But Ashwin struck back by trapping Tristan Stubbs lbw while trying to reverse-sweep a slower carrom ball, with South Africa burning a review as well.
Miller went on to raise his fifty with a cracking cut through third man off Shami in the 19th over, before getting a glove edge on pull for four and smashing a cut over cover off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to give India their first loss in the tournament.
Brief scores: India 133/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68; Lungi Ngidi 4/29, Wayne Parnell 3/15) lose to South Africa 137/5 in 19.4 overs (David Miller 59 not out, Aiden Markram 52; Arshdeep Singh 2/25, Mohammed Shami 1/13).
(With inputs from IANS)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)