Kohli the constant in easy win
Skipper hits 72 not out after taking a sizzling catch to dismiss Quinton de Kock in India’s seven-wicket win
MOHALI: The Virat Kohli show began even before the India skipper came out to bat. A stunning leap to pouch counterpart Quinton de Kock helped rein in the South Africa innings, and the hosts completed a seven-wicket victory with an over to spare in the second Twenty20 at the PCA Stadium on Saturday.
Kohli’s 22nd T20 fifty made him the only cricketer in the world to average 50 plus in all three formats—53.14 in Tests, 60.31 in ODIs and 50.85 in T20 internationals. A fluent, unbeaten 72 off 52 balls helped complete that set as India, having restricted South Africa to 149/5, eased to 151/3 in 19 overs.
The only jarring note came from Rishabh Pant. Already cautioned by the skipper, coach Ravi Shastri, and then new batting coach Vikram Rathour asking the young wicketkeeper not to get ‘careless’ pushing the boundaries of playing ‘fearless’ cricket. His tendency to play the hoick over square-leg has led to his untimely dismissals a few times, and Pant’s eyes lit up when debutant leftarm spinner Bjorn Fortuin dropped it outside leg-stump. The shot went straight to Tabraiz Shamsi at backward short-leg.
De Kock, on his T20 captaincy debut, had made a 37-ball 52 with good support from T20 debutant Temba Bavuma (49) when he hit Navdeep Saini over the seamer, only for Kohli to pluck out a stunning catch. It eased any concern India had electing to bowl.
Kohli, who hit four fours and three sixes, took over after Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan had laid the base. Pacer Anrich Nortje, on T20 debut, went for 13 runs in his first over. Sharma hit two sixes but was trapped leg before by Andile Phehlukwayo. Dhawan (40 – 31 balls) supported Kohli and could have got his halfcentury but David Miller’s outstanding catch on the long-on boundary ended his stay.
Quinton de Kock and fellow opener Reeza Hendricks raised 31 runs before pacer Deepak Chahar removed Hendricks. De Kock relished playing on the Mohali strip and his knock promised a total of 170-180 till Kohli intervened.
Saini’s off-cutter angled across the stumps and De Kock, looking to go over midwicket, sliced it over the bowler. It was in the 12th over. Ravindra Jadeja took a brilliant return catch remove Rassie van der Dussen the next over, pushing South Africa on the back foot. Bavuma fought a lone battle, the No 3 scoring 49 off 43 balls, after doubts had been raised before the series if he can click in T20s. He had risen only to the fourth joint-highest score by a Proteas batsman on T20 debut when Chahar got him in the 18th over. David Miller, who has played at the PCA ground for almost a decade now for Kings XI Punjab in IPL, managed to score just 18 runs before giving away his wicket to Hardik Pandya. As a result, despite the steady start, South Africa struggled to score towards the end of the innings. Once De Kock was out, the visitors could not accelerate.