The second T20I between India and South Africa turned out to be a high-scoring contest where the batters from both the teams lit the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati with their power-packed display. Though it was the Indian team that emerged triumphant, having successfully defended the total of 237, South African batter David Miller won many hearts with his fighting century that brought the tourists close to the hosts' total. The quality of Miller's batting was such that even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli couldn't resist walking up to the South African and acknowledge his effort.
Miller, who struck 106 off just 47 balls, couldn't provide the finishing touch to take the Proteas. But, his efforts with the bat did impress Indian stalwarts Rohit and Kohli who walked up to the middle-order batter to laud him for his knock. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video featuring Miller where India's captain and his predecessor were both seen talking to the South Arfrican's after his gigantic effort. Here's the video:
South Africa didn't get off to a pleasant start, chasing a monumental target of 238 runs. Proteas' skipper Temba Bavuma (0 runs off 7 balls) and Rilee Rossouw (0 runs off 2 balls) were both removed by Arshdeep Singh in the second over. Quiniton de Kock (69 runs off 48 balls) remained unbeaten alongside Miller but their efforts were good enough to keep South Africa alive in the contest.
Earlier, the Indian team had put in a solid show with the bat where Suryakumar Yadav (61 runs off 22 balls) and KL Rahul (57 runs off 28 balls) were the top-scoring batters for the hosts. Even the likes of Rohit (43 runs off 37), Kohli (49 runs off 28 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (17 runs off 7 balls) provided valuable contributions with the bat.
Though India have the series in their bag, there remain a few concerns for them, going into the T20 World Cup 2022. The Guwahati match showed once again how poor the team's death bowling has been in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Harshal patel, all conceded in the excess of 11 per over. Deepak Chahar's performance -- 24 runs off 4 overs -- was the only saving grace for the Men in Blue in the bowling unit.