Half-ton of Shreyas Iyer and nearly an unbeatable century of wicketkeeper Sanju Samson went in vain Wednesday evening leading to a lead of 1-0 by the visitors in the three-match series at home. The victory path of South Africa was paved by a solid partnership of unbeaten 139 runs by David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen.
The game, played at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, was shortened to 40 overs due to rain. India won the toss and opted to bowl. South Africa pocketed 249 runs by losing four wickets while the Men in Blue failed to reach the target by 9 runs after losing eight wickets.
The best batters for South Africa were Quinton de Kock with 48 runs, Heinrich Klaasen with 74 runs (not out) and David Miller with 75 runs (not out). The top run scorers for India were Sanju Samson with 86 runs (not out) and Shreyas Iyer with 50 runs.
Temba Bavuma said they looked ahead to bowl first and know a job is to be done with the bat too. They wanted to adapt accordingly in the first couple of overs and want to keep the T20 skills in check. Every game is a big opportunity for them.
Indian captain Shikhar Dhawan said they wished to field first as the pitch was equipped with a bit of moisture and it was important to exploit it. The team had six batters and five bowlers playing, 2 spinners and 3 pacers.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravi Bishnoi debuted their ODIs today. Heinrich Klaasen was announced Player of the Match for his outstanding batting of an unbeaten 74.
Opener Shubman Gill said, “It is a lot of fun opening with him (Shikhar), he has so much experience and he guides me through the innings, how to deal with certain bowlers.”
The second ODI is scheduled to be played on October 9 and at the JSCA International Stadium Complex stadium in Ranchi. The third and final will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 11.
South Africa Playing XI
Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock (w), Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
South Africa Fall of Wickets
49-1 (Janneman Malan, 12.1), 70-2 (Bavuma, 14.6), 71-3 (Markram, 15.6), 110-4 (de Kock, 22.2). Parnell, Maharaj, Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Shamsi did not bat.
India Playing XI
Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan.
India Fall of Wickets
8-1 (Shubman Gill, 2.4), 8-2 (Shikhar Dhawan, 5.1), 48-3 (Ruturaj Gaikwad, 16.4), 51-4 (Ishan Kishan, 17.4), 118-5 (Shreyas Iyer, 26.4), 211-6 (Shardul Thakur, 37.3), 211-7 (Kuldeep Yadav, 37.4), 215-8 (Avesh Khan, 38.5). Mohammed Siraj did not bat.
Revised Playing Conditions Due to Rain
40 overs per-side contest. Maximum 8 Overs Per Bowler. Powerplay 1 – 8 overs Powerplay 2 – 24 Overs. Powerplay 3 – 8 Overs.
