South Africa took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series with a four-wicket victory at Cuttack on Sunday, despite Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s heroics with the ball (June 12). Bhuvneshwar earned 4/13, the best bowling statistics in a T20 international in a losing cause.
The India and Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler shattered his own T20 debut record of 3/9 against Pakistan in 2012. With 63 wickets in 61 games, he became India’s third-highest wicket-taker in T20I history. Ravichandran Ashwin, who has 61 wickets in T20I cricket, has been passed by him.
With 69 wickets, Yuzvendra Chahal is India’s most wicket-taker in T20Is. With 62 scalps, Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested for the series against South Africa, is second on the list.
In the first over, Bhuvneshwar hit. He defeated opener Reeza Hendricks with the penultimate ball of the first over, as the ball took an inside edge onto the pad and then uprooted the off stump. He bowled a knuckle ball to Dwaine Pretorius in his second over, bringing in a smart change of speed.
Rassie van der Dussen, who hit a match-winning fifty for the Proteas in the first T20I, was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the third ball of the sixth over.
After another meek defeat to South Africa in the second T20 International on Sunday, a heartbroken skipper Rishabh Pant made no bones about the uninspired performance of the two leading spinners Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, imploring them to come good.
While Axar was only given one over, in which he gave up 19 runs, Chahal was just as bad, giving 49 runs in four overs. Axar has given up 59 runs in five overs in both games, while Chahal has gone for 75 runs in six overs.
Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony without explaining, “The spinners have (to) come (perform) better into the game.”
Despite the fact that the course is two-paced, he agreed that a total of 148 for 6 was probably 15 runs short. “I believe we were 10-15 runs short while batting,” he remarked. “Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 4/13) and the other fast bowlers bowled quite well. In the second half, we were down a man, and things did not go our way.
“The bowlers started off really well, but we didn’t bowl like after 10-11 overs, and that’s when the game turned around.” We were planning on doing something similar (as the South African bowlers). “We’ll try to win the last three games,” Pant said.