Lungi Ngidi handed South Africa an early breakthrough by removing Shubman Gill in the second T20I at New Chandigarh Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday, December 11. The Indian opener departed for a golden duck, giving the visitors their first wicket with just nine runs on the board. The wicket came off a length delivery that moved away after pitching.
Gill was opened up while attempting a straight defensive shot, resulting in an outside edge that travelled to first slip, where Reeza Hendricks completed a straightforward catch. The Indian vice-captain’s dismissal was particularly disappointing as it happened on his home turf. You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/sA8N1iK7
With this wicket, Shubman Gill once again fell short with the bat in the T20I series, having scored only four runs off two balls in the previous match. His last five innings now read 15, 46, 29* (all in Australia), 4, and 0 (today). Sanju Samson, notably, is still awaiting an opportunity. Meanwhile, this marked the second occasion in the series that Lungi Ngidi has dismissed him.
SA remove Gill and Abhishek early in India’s 214 chase
A sharp bowling effort from Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen put South Africa in control during India’s chase in the second T20I. Following Gill’s early exit, Jansen struck again by removing Abhishek Sharma for 17 off eight balls, caught behind. At the time of writing, India were 19/2 after two overs, with captain Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel at the crease.
Earlier, South Africa posted 213/4 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat. Quinton de Kock led the charge with a blistering 90 off 46 deliveries, hammering seven sixes and five fours at a strike rate of 195.65. Donovan Ferreira (30* off 16) and David Miller (20* off 12) provided late acceleration, while skipper Aiden Markram chipped in with 29 off 26.
For India, Varun Chakaravarthy impressed with figures of 2/29, and Axar Patel picked up one wicket. India entered the match with a 1-0 lead in the five-game series after a dominant 101-run win in Cuttack. The Men in Blue have never successfully chased more than 209 in T20Is, a record set against Australia in November 2023.
The series now moves to Dharamsala, where the third T20I will be played at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday, December 14.
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