OPENER Quinton de Kock hit 90 off 46 balls to lead South Africa to a 51-run win over India in the second T20 international on Thursday, levelling the five-match series.
De Kock hit five fours and seven sixes as South Africa reached 213-4 after India chose to bowl first on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
India were bowled out for 162 in 19.1 overs. Tilak Varma made 62 off 34 balls but South Africa secured their first win of the series after losing the opener. The series is part of preparations for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
Ottneil Baartman finished with 4-24.
De Kock put on 83 for the second wicket with captain Aiden Markram, who scored 29. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy bowled Reeza Hendricks for eight with his first ball and later dismissed Markram after the skipper hit him for two sixes.
De Kock, who turns 33 on Wednesday, hit Arshdeep Singh for two sixes in the bowler’s first two overs. He reached his 17th T20 half-century with a four off Hardik Pandya before being run out by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.
Axar Patel dismissed Dewald Brevis for 14. David Miller hit four boundaries off Jasprit Bumrah in a 15-run over and made an unbeaten 20. Donovan Ferreira ended the innings with an unbeaten 30, including two sixes off Bumrah in the final over.
India’s chase began with Shubman Gill falling for a first-ball duck to Lungi Ngidi. Marco Jansen had Abhishek Sharma caught behind for 17 and removed captain Suryakumar Yadav for five.
Varma and Axar tried to rebuild with a series of boundaries before Baartman broke through as India slipped to 67-4 inside eight overs. Baartman ended Axar’s 21 off 21 balls with Hendricks taking a low catch at cover.
Varma continued with support from Pandya and then Sharma, but South Africa made regular breakthroughs. Lutho Sipamla dismissed Pandya for 20 and Sharma for 27. Varma was the final wicket, falling to Ngidi.
The third match will be played on Sunday in Dharamsala.
(With inputs from agencies)
