At Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday night, the ball entered David Miller’s arc many times and each time it soared out of the park with astonishing ease. In the process, the South African – who hit an unbeaten 64 off 31 balls with four fours and five sixes — ensured that the visitors chased down 212 to complete their highest successful run chase in T20Is and end India’s 12-match winning streak.
Rassie van der Dussen wasn’t anywhere near as fluent and was also dropped by Shreyas Iyer at deep midwicket on 29, but caught up later on to finish on 75 not out off 46 deliveries. Their 131-run partnership for the fourth wicket overshadowed India’s effort with the bat, giving them a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20 series. Ishan Kishan top-scored for India, with an innings of 76 in 48 balls.
South Africa suffered an early setback in their run chase with the dismissal of skipper Temba Bavuma in the third over, but a 39-run partnership between Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius off just 18 balls allowed the visitors to stay in touch with the asking rate. Pretorius’ promotion to No 3 – he usually bats at No 7 or 8 – seemed like an inspired choice when he dispatched Hardik Pandya for three sixes in the fifth over. It took him to 29 off 12 balls before Harshal Patel dismissed him with a well-disguised slower ball.
De Kock’s wicket was equally important from India’s perspective, and Axar Patel sent the South African opener back in the ninth over. Attempting a slog sweep off the left-arm spinner, he was caught by Ishan on the deep square-leg boundary. If India had started thinking of victory at that stage, they clearly didn’t account for Miller’s finishing prowess.
The left-hander has been in excellent form in recent months, spearheading Gujarat Titans’ march to the IPL title with his ice-cool temperament in run chases. And he was at it again on Thursday, building on his 481-run IPL season at an average of 68.71 and strike rate of 142.72.
By the time he walked in to bat, South Africa were 81/3, needing 131 runs for victory from 68 balls. Miller took his time early on despite the climbing required rate, scoring nine off his first 10 balls. But once Miller flicked Patel to the deep square leg boundary for six in the 12th over, there was no stopping the belligerent southpaw. He followed it up with a couple of sixes in the next over against Axar Patel and began a boundary-hitting spree that helped him reach fifty off just 22 balls.
While India’s total of 211 seemed a challenging one, they could have perhaps been a bit more aggressive in the powerplay. Both Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad played and missed quite a bit during an opening stand of 57 in 6.2 overs. Neither of them had a productive IPL season, and it was evident early on that their timing is still eluding them. Gaikwad, in particular, was rushed on a few occasions by the pace of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
Iyer came in and instantly switched gears, plundering left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for three sixes in his first two overs. The ball sailed over long-on each time with Iyer taking no half-measures. His early aggression certainly eased the pressure on Kishan, who had laboured to 34 off 30 balls at one stage.
Kishan brought up his half-century off 37 balls in the 11th over when he hit left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj over the deep midwicket boundary for a six. Maharaj was in for harsher punishment in his next over, the left-hander smashing him for two fours and sixes each in consecutive deliveries. Kishan’s innings (76 off 48 balls) came to an end in the very same over while attempting another maximum, but he had done his job by then.
Iyer, meanwhile, was unable to find the boundary with regularity against the pacers. After a couple of sedate overs, the right-hander tried to hit across the line but failed to connect and had his stumps knocked back by Dwaine Pretorius.
Pant and Pandya stepped up in grand fashion to provide the final flourish. Their partnership of 46 in 18 balls for the fourth wicket took India past 200 while the last 23 balls of the innings yielded 55 runs. Pandya’s hitting power came to the fore, favouring the long-on region to wallop the likes of Rabada and Parnell into the stands. But Pandya had to eventually bow down to the brilliance of his IPL teammate Miller on the night.
