South Africa settles for a 1-1 draw in the T20I series against India: Player Ratings for the Hosts
The three-match T20I series between South Africa and India ended on Thursday at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg as India recorded a sensational victory by a massive 106 runs. It was an all-round performance by the Indian team as they smacked 201 runs in the first innings and then restricted South Africa to a poor score of 95 runs.
With the win, the visitors also levelled the series. Going into the third match, the South African team had an edge as they won the second T20 International by five wickets because of the DLS method. Notably, the first T20I between the two sides had washed out even without a toss because of poor weather conditions in Durban.
Let us check out the report card of the South African players:
Batters
Reeza Hendricks (6/10): Reeza Hendricks finished the three-match T20I series against India as the highest run-scorer for South Africa. In two matches, the opening batter scored 57 runs in two matches at an average of 28.50. Hendricks outshined in the second game as he smacked 49 runs off just 27 balls. However, he failed to continue the momentum in the series decider.
Matthew Breetzke (3/10): It was a series to forget for the other South African opening batter Matthew Breetzke as he struggled with the bat in the middle. The first match saw the 25-year-old scoring 16 runs off 7 balls while the second match was no better as he ended up with only four runs.
Heinrich Klassen (1/10): Heinrich Klassen emerged as another disappointment for the hosts in the T20I series against India. Following a good run with the bat in the past few months, Klassen succumbed to pressure as he failed to score even 15 runs across two matches. In the second T20I, he was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj while playing at seven runs.
In the final match, South Africa was in desperate need of a good knock while chasing 202 runs and they had their hopes pinned on Klassen. However, the middle-order batter let the team down by giving his wicket to Arshdeep Singh after scoring only five runs and leaving the team hanging in the middle.
David Miller (2.5/10): The South African power-hitter David Miller was another batter to flatten against the Indian team in the T20I series. Miller was relatively better in the final match as he scored 35 runs off 25 balls. However, in the previous match, he was completely off-track with a score of only 17 runs after facing 12 balls in the middle.
Tristan Stubbs (1.5/10): Tristan Stubbs played only one game against India in the form of the second T20 International but he failed to capitalize on the opportunity provided to him. Stubbs contributed only 14 runs to the scoreboard after facing 12 balls at a strike rate of under 117.
Donovan Ferreira (1.5/10): It was only the second T20 International for middle-order batter Donovan Ferreira as he got included in South Africa’s playing XI for the final T20I against India. Batting at number six, the batter failed to make an impact as he scored only 12 runs when the Proteas were given a task to chase 202 runs in the allotted 20 overs.
All-rounders
Aiden Markram (5/10): The skipper Aiden Markram also failed to live up to the fans’ expectations. In both the games, he got off to good starts but failed to capitalize on them and ended up losing his wicket early in the game.
Aiden Markram scored 55 runs in two T20 Internationals against India.
In the second T20I, Markram scored 30 runs while his score for the final match was 25 runs. As far as captaincy is concerned, Aiden did a decent job as Proteas ended the series at 1-1 against favorites India.
Andile Phehlukwayo (1/10): Andile Phehlukwayo can be considered one of the worst performers for the South African team in the series against India. In the second T20 International, he could score only 10 runs off four balls. The batter did not redeem himself with the ball as well as he conceded 29 runs in three overs without taking any wickets.
In the last fixture, Andile bowled three overs at a poor economy rate of 11 and again went wicketless. His batting form also took a dip as he was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja at three-ball duck.
Marco Jansen (2.5/10): Marco Jansen dished out one of the worst performances of his T20I career during his only match against the Indian cricket team, the second T20I. Though he managed to dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal, the youngster ended up leaking an alarming 39 runs in three overs to record an economy rate of 13.
Bowlers
Gerald Coetzee (7.5/10): Gerald Coetzee was one of the top performers for South Africa in the second T20I as he picked three wickets while giving away 32 runs in 3.3 overs. Following a good performance, Coetzee was not available for the third T20 International as he decided to focus on preparing for the Test series.
Lizaad Williams (6/10): Lizaad Williams was one of the few players who played both the T20Is against India. The seamer dished out a sub-par performance in the series as he bowled seven overs to scalp three wickets at an average of 26.
Tabraiz Shamsi (7/10): Tabraiz Shamsi took home the Player of the Match award in the second T20I as South Africa won by five wickets. The spinner took the most crucial wicket of the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The third T20I again saw Shamsi picking only one wicket as he dismissed the in-form Jaiswal.
Keshav Maharaj (7.5/10): Keshav Maharaj missed the second T20I but he made up for his absence in the third T20 International. The 33-year-old was the top bowler for South Africa with two wickets of Tilak Varma and Shubman Gill under his belt at a good economy rate of 6.5.
Nandre Burger (3/10): Included in the place of Gerald Coetzee for the final T20 International, Nandre Burger delivered an underwhelming performance. The left-arm seamer conceded 39 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 9.8 while picking only one wicket in the form of Rinku Singh.