South African pacer Donovan Ferreira claimed his first wicket by removing India’s Shivam Dube in the opening T20I of the five-match series, held on Tuesday, December 9, at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The dismissal came on the very first delivery of the 18th over.
Ferreira bowled a 108 kph wobble-seam delivery targeting the middle stump, and Dube attempted a big slog across the line but missed entirely, allowing the ball to smash into the stumps. You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/XVJ1U3yj
The left-hander endured a disappointing innings, managing only 11 runs from nine deliveries, including two boundaries. His departure left the hosts in a tricky position at 137/6 after 17.1 overs.
Hardik Pandya’s Brilliant Fifty Guides India To 175 In 1st T20I
After being sent in to bat, India suffered an early setback as vice-captain Shubman Gill fell for four in the first over to Lungi Ngidi. The South African pacer struck again in his following over, removing India’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav for 12 off 11 balls. Opener Abhishek Sharma also struggled, scoring just 17 from 12 deliveries.
In the middle order, Tilak Varma (26 off 32) and Axar Patel (23 off 21) found it difficult to accelerate the scoring. Veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya, walking in at No. 6, quickly turned the momentum in India’s favor, smashing two sixes off Keshav Maharaj in the 13th over.
Making his return to international cricket after injury, Pandya continued his onslaught and reached his fifty with a towering maximum off just 25 balls. Pandya finished unbeaten on 59 from 28 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, while Jitesh Sharma remained not out on 10 off five as India completed their 20 overs at 175/6.
For South Africa, Ngidi took three wickets, Lutho Sipamla claimed two, and Donovan Ferreira picked up one.
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