IND vs SA: Clinical Proteas have their say again against India in 2nd T20I

SA’s Heinrich Klaasen during his 46-ball 81 against India at Cuttack yesterday. Pic/PTI

Heinrich Klaasen hammered a match-winning 81 runs off just 46 balls as South Africa beat India by four wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series at Cuttack here on Sunday. Klaasen hammered seven fours and five sixes as the Indian bowlers seemed clueless against him. India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4-13 off his four overs.

Earlier, the Indian batters found it tough to get going against a tight bowling display from South Africa to be restricted to a modest 148 for 6 on a tacky Barabati track here. Shreyas Iyer (40) was the top-scorer for India while Ishan Kishan provided some early sparks (21-ball 34) but the hosts lost the momentum in the middle-overs on a two-paced track.

That in-form finisher Dinesh Karthik was sent way down at No.7, behind Axar Patel, also made it difficult for the Rishabh Pant-led India, who are trailing 0-1 in the series. Karthik, team's designated ‘finisher' (30 not out from 21 balls) smashed two sixes and two fours to give the total some semblance of respectability.

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Harshal Patel (12 not out from nine balls) gave him a good company as the duo improved the Indian run-rate stitching together 36 runs from the last three overs to give them some respite. Put into bat on a challenging track, the Indian batters struggled barring a small 45-run second wicket partnership between Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.

Opening the bowling, Kagiso Rabada set the tone early on, giving a breakthrough straightaway in his first over. He brilliantly set up Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) with a barrage of short balls before mixing up a fuller one to cleverly deceive the opener en route to a miserly spell 4-0-15-1 that included 13 dot balls.

After the sedate start, it was Kishan (34 from 21 balls) who provided the firepower in the power play, smashing Nortje for two sixes to improve their run-rate.

Brief scores
India 148-6 in 20 overs (S Iyer 40; A Nortje 2-36; lost to South Africa 149-6 (H Klaasen 81, Temba Bavuma 35; B Kumar 4-13) by four wickets

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