Varun Chakaravarthy takes out Klaasen and Miller: Although India lost the 2nd SA vs IND T20I, on Sunday in Gqeberha, mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy took a giant stride in making himself a member of the first-choice XI when the team is at its full strength.
Chakaravarthy took his maiden T20I five-wicket haul in what is only his 11th T20I match. The Tamil Nadu spinner has been on a roll since his return to the side in the T20I series against Bangladesh.
In five matches against Bangladesh and South Africa, Chakaravarthy has snared 13 wickets at an average of only 8.84 and a superb economy of 5.75, with a best of 5/17 that he recorded against the Proteas at St George’s Park.
Varun Chakaravarthy takes out Klaasen and Miller in the same over in the 2nd T20I
Chakaravarthy almost single-handedly kept India alive in the match. While chasing a lowly target of 125, South Africa were cruising at 33/1 when Chakaravarthy made his first intervention with the wicket of South African skipper Aiden Markram through a googly, knocking the off-stump over. Another googly saw him castle Reeza Hendricks and another googly saw him go through the defense of Marco Jansen.
Chakaravarthy then had the two senior lynchpins in South Africa’s middle order: Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller on consecutive deliveries in the 13th over of the chase.
Klaasen’s wicket was a bit fortunate, as he muscled a full ball outside the off-stump straight into the hands of the long-off fielder. But Miller’s dismissal was simply magic from Chakaravarthy.
From round the wicket, he sent a length delivery that had Miller rooted at the crease while playing a defensive push. The ball went past the bat’s outside edge and hit the off-stump, and the left-hander was left stunned. Miller’s wicket also completed Chakaravarthy’s five-for.
Watch These Two Dismissals Here:
Despite Chakaravarthy’s heroics with the ball, South Africa won the match as India’s 124-run total proved too low. Tristan Stubbs scored 47* off 41 balls and Gerald Coetzee smashed 19* off 9 as the pair hammered 42* (20) for the eighth wicket and took South Africa over the line with an over to spare.
The series now stands level at 1-1 with two more games to go. The third T20I will be played on Wednesday in Centurion.
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