1st T20 Updates: Bishnoi picks another; SA 8 down

Jansen joins Patrick Kruger at the crease. Ravi Bishnoi continues his impressive spell. He strikes again, dismissing Kruger who slices the ball towards backward point, where Hardik Pandya takes a smart catch. 

South Africa are in deep trouble, losing their sixth wicket.

Ravi Bishnoi continues the bowling attack, building pressure on the South African batters. Miller defends the first four balls. He finally takes a single off the last ball of the over. South Africa reach 79/3 after 11 overs.

Varun Chakravarthy continues the bowling attack. Miller takes a single. Klaasen hits a massive six. However, in the next delivery, Chakravarthy strikes, dismissing Klaasen for 25 runs.

 

Kruger is the new man in, he is off the mark with a single.

Varun Chakravarthy is bowling a brilliant spell, and his dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen has put South Africa in a difficult position. Miller's wicket would be a significant blow for the Proteas. He departs for 18 off 22 balls.

Varun Chakravarthy continues the bowling attack. Klaasen plays a defensive shot to point. He then slices the ball to backward point for a single. Miller plays a defensive shot towards short fine leg. He then punches the ball towards cover for a single. Klaasen defends the last two deliveries. 

South Africa add 2 runs to their score in the 10th over, reaching 78-3. They now need 125 runs from 60 balls to win the match.

South Africa add 9 runs to their score in the 7th over, reaching 58-3.

Hardik Pandya is introduced into the attack. Klaasen plays a defensive shot to cover. He then takes a single. A wide delivery is called. Rickelton plays a defensive shot towards deep square leg for a single. Klaasen defends the next three deliveries. South Africa adds 3 runs to their score in the 5th over, reaching 44-2.

Varun Chakravarthy comes into the attack to bowl the final over of the powerplay. He starts with a googly, which Rickelton defends well. However, in the next delivery, Rickelton mistimes a shot, and Tilak Varma takes a simple catch. Rickelton departs after a quickfire 21 off 11 balls.

Arshdeep continues the bowling attack. Rickelton is beaten by a good delivery. He then takes a quick single. Stubbs defends a wide delivery. He then hits a massive six over the boundary. 

He follows it up with a single. The over ends with 9 runs, and South Africa reach 28-1 after 3 overs.

Avesh Khan continues from the other end. Stubbs misses a delivery. He then takes a couple of runs. However, he is caught by Suryakumar Yadav, ending his innings at 11 runs. 

Klaasen comes in to bat, and he gets off the mark with a single. A sloppy fielding effort from Bishnoi results in four extra runs for Rickelton. Rickelton hits his first T20I six, showcasing his power-hitting abilities. 

The over ends with 13 runs and a wicket.

 South Africa reach 41-2 after 4 overs, needing 162 runs from 96 balls to win the match.

Stubbs comes in at number three and gets off the mark with a couple.

South Africa staged a remarkable recovery to restrict India to 202 runs. After a blistering start from Sanju Samson, who scored a magnificent century, India's momentum stalled post his dismissal. The Proteas bowlers tightened the screws in the final overs, limiting India to a below-par total.   

Samson's century was the highlight of the Indian innings. He dominated the South African bowlers and formed crucial partnerships with Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya. However, India's middle-order failed to capitalize on the strong start, and the team lost momentum towards the end.   

With a challenging target of 203, South Africa will need to play a near-perfect innings to chase down the total. The highest successful chase at Durban is 191, making it a tough ask for the Proteas.

South Africa staged a remarkable recovery to restrict India to 202 runs. After a blistering start from Sanju Samson, who scored a magnificent century, India's momentum stalled post his dismissal. The Proteas bowlers tightened the screws in the final overs, limiting India to a below-par total.   

Samson's century was the highlight of the Indian innings. He dominated the South African bowlers and formed crucial partnerships with Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya. However, India's middle-order failed to capitalize on the strong start, and the team lost momentum towards the end.   

With a challenging target of 203, South Africa will need to play a near-perfect innings to chase down the total. The highest successful chase at Durban is 191, making it a tough ask for the Proteas.

Jansen starts the final over with a wide delivery. Axar Patel is then caught by Stubbs, ending his innings at 7 runs. 

Bishnoi joins Arshdeep at the crease. Bishnoi misses the first ball. India reaches the 200-run mark. 

Arshdeep is bowled but the bowler oversteps, giving India a free hit. Arshdeep fails to capitalise on the opportunity, and India loses another wicket as Bishnoi is run out. The last 25 balls have been challenging for India, as they have lost four wickets and scored only 31 runs. 

India finish their innings at 202-8.

Jansen continues to bowl. Axar Patel defends two deliveries. Jansen bowls a wide delivery outside off, and Rinku Singh tries to hit it but skies it over short third man for a couple of runs.

The over ends with a dot ball. India add 3 runs to their score, reaching 185-5 after 18 overs.

Coetzee continues the bowling attack. Axar Patel hits a boundary. He then takes a single. Rinku Singh misses a shot and then hits a boundary. However, he is caught by Klaasen, ending his innings at 11 runs. Arshdeep Singh comes in to bat and straightaway slams a boundary. 

After 19 overs India are 198-6.

Rinku Singh joins Hardik Pandya at the crease. India are already on 175 runs, with their sights set on a big total. Rinku defends the last two balls of the over. India adds 8 runs and loses one wicket in the 16th over, reaching 175-4.

Kruger returns to the attack. Tilak Varma gets a boundary and a six off the first two balls. Sanju Samson hits a no-look six, bringing him to 99 runs off 46 balls. He then takes a single. India adds 20 runs to their score, reaching 162-2 after 14 overs.

Keshav Maharaj is back into the attack. Sanju Samson completes a brilliant century off just 47 balls, showcasing his dominance with a sublime shot to the long-off boundary. It's been a masterclass performance from the Indian batter.

Hardik is the new batter he defends the last two.

Peter returns to the attack. Tilak Varma welcomes him with a boundary. He then takes a single. Sanju Samson continues his aggressive batting, hitting another six. He follows it up with a single. Tilak Varma attempts a reverse sweep but misses. He eventually gets a single.

India add 13 runs to their score, reaching 124-2 after 12 overs.

Simelane returns to the attack. Tilak Varma takes a single. Sanju Samson continues his aggressive batting, hitting back-to-back boundaries and a massive six over deep extra cover. He reaches 92 runs off 44 balls. The over ends with a wide and a single from Samson. 

India add 18 runs to their score, reaching 142-2 after 13 overs.

Patrick Kruger enters the attack. Suryakumar Yadav gets a single off the first ball. Sanju Samson continues his aggressive batting, hitting another boundary and a six. He then takes a single. Suryakumar Yadav gets a wide ball and a no-ball, but fails to capitalize on the free hit. He eventually gets a single. Sanju Samson also takes a single. 

However, Kruger gets the final laugh, dismissing Suryakumar Yadav for 21 runs. 

The eventful over, filled with wides and no-balls, ends with India reaching 90-2 after 9 overs.

Keshav Maharaj continues to spin the ball. Sanju Samson rotates the strike with a single. Both Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson are now focusing on rotating the strike and building a solid partnership. India adds just 5 runs to their score in the 7th over, reaching 61-1.

Nqabayomzi Peter comes into the attack. Sanju Samson welcomes him with a massive six. He then brings up his fifty in style, with another six. He follows it up with a single. Suryakumar Yadav ends the over with a single. India adds 14 runs to their score, reaching 75-1 after 8 overs.

Marco Jansen returns to the attack. Sanju Samson greets him with a boundary, followed by a massive six. He then takes a single. Suryakumar Yadav continues his aggressive batting, smashing another four runs. However, he misses the last ball of the over. India adds 15 runs to their score, reaching 49-1 after 5 overs.

Coetzee returns to the attack. Sanju Samson plays a defensive shot to backward point. He then gets hit on the thigh while trying to defend a delivery. Samson then launches a powerful six over the boundary. He finishes the powerplay with a single. India reaches 56-1 after the powerplay.

Keshav Maharaj continues to spin the ball. Sanju Samson greets him with a boundary, followed by a massive six. He then picks up a single with a cut shot. Abhishek Sharma contributes with a single as well. The over ends with a dot ball. India adds 12 runs to their score, reaching 24-0 after 3 overs.

Coetzee replaces Maharaj. In a dramatic turn of events, Coetzee strikes early, dismissing Abhishek Sharma who mistimes a shot straight to Markram. India is now 24-1.

Both teams have completed their national anthems. Marco Jansen is ready to start the bowling attack for South Africa. India will open with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Let's play!

Sanju Samson got off to a quick start, scoring a single off the first ball. Abhishek Sharma, however, faced a tougher start, missing a big shot and fumbling a run. India managed just two runs from the first over.

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to field first against India in the first T20I in Durban. 

India's T20 team, in transition after Rohit Sharma's departure, will look for breakthrough performances from rising stars like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in the upcoming series against South Africa.

Openers in Focus: Samson aims to solidify his claim as a regular opener with consistent scores. Abhishek Sharma also gets a crucial chance to impress.

Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy fight to stay relevant, while young pacers Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Vyshak Vijaykumar, and Yash Dayal get an international stage to showcase their talent.

All-rounder Ramandeep Singh, a standout performer in IPL 2024, aims to replicate his success with his batting, bowling, and fielding skills.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel will guide the young squad and seek to bounce back from the recent series loss to New Zealand.