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India's T20I campaign hit a roadblock as they suffered a 51-run defeat against South Africa in the second match at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
Chasing a daunting 214, the Indian team was bowled out for 162, marking their seventh defeat in T20 cricket while chasing a score above 210. Notably, the Men in Blue have yet to chase down a target of 210+ in T20Is successfully. Quinton de Kock's explosive 90 off 46 balls, including five fours and seven sixes, laid the foundation for South Africa's imposing total. Ottniel Baartman's 4/24 bowling spell further dismantled India's batting lineup, exposing vulnerabilities in their chase. Except for a half-century from Tilak Varma, no other Indian batter managed to stick around for long, and the top order failed yet again, with the captain and vice-captain duo continuing their poor run of form. With this 51-run loss to the Proteas, the five-match series is now level 1-1. Quinton de Kock was named Player of the Match for his brilliant fifty. He continued his fine record against India across all formats. He has scored 1,914 runs in 43 matches and 40 innings at an average of 40.72, with eight centuries, seven sixes and a best score of 135. Against India in T20Is, he has made 441 runs in 12 innings at an average of 44.10, with a best score of 90, a strike rate of 146.51, and five fifties. He has now joined an elite group, boasting seven Player of the Match (POTM) awards in T20Is for South Africa, placing him joint-second alongside AB de Villiers (7), and just two behind Tabraiz Shamsi (9) and David Miller (9). Speaking about his knock and record against India after the match, de Kock reflected, "It is just happening, low and high scores. When I do get going, I try and make it count. I think it is because we play each other so many times, and on good wickets. Arshdeep (Singh) got me out plenty of times. It was just a technical thing to be aware of, and then play naturally." (ANI)
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