New Chandigarh, Dec 11 (UNI) South Africa lit up the evening at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium with a crackling batting display, headlined by a majestic Quinton de Kock 90 and finished with booming fireworks from Donovan Ferreira and David Miller, as the visitors piled up 213 for 4 against India in the second T20 International on Thursday.
Asked to bat, South Africa wasted no time setting the tempo. De Kock, in that familiar free-flowing mood, flicked, pulled and launched India’s bowlers into the stands with the calm authority of a man who felt the night belonged to him.
A pick-up flick for six off Arshdeep Singh in the very first over set the tone, and he continued to glide forward, backward and sideways — all with supreme confidence.
By the eighth over, he was fifty up with a whip through mid-wicket off Hardik Pandya, celebrated warmly by Aiden Markram and acknowledged by the dugout. The timing was sweet, the placement assured, and everything suggested a big one was brewing.
Varun Chakaravarthy pulled things back briefly, first rattling Reeza Hendricks’ stumps with a skiddy carrom ball for just 8, and later sending back captain Markram (29 off 26) after the latter had muscled him for back-to-back sixes. But de Kock kept turning strike into runs, producing clean strikes, including a 93-metre blow off Axar Patel that sailed over long-on, and working the angles with complete command.
Dewald Brevis joined the party with flashes of brilliance: a one-bounce thump over mid-off and a bold loft that had Shubman Gill tumbling into the cushions. But Axar ended his stay in the 16th over with a flat, clever delivery that forced a miscue.
Then came the turning moment: de Kock, sitting pretty on 90, under-edged Varun behind the stumps, and wandered out for a heartbeat. Jitesh Sharma whipped the bails off in one sharp motion. A brilliant innings ended, to roars of appreciation around the ground, but perhaps just one shot shy of the ultimate.
If India hoped that wicket would slow the charge, Ferreira and Miller had other plans, and that’s when the massive moments began to roll in.
Ferreira smoked Arshdeep over long-on for a monster. Then Miller unfurled a trademark whip over mid-wicket — flat, fierce, and full of intent. Jasprit Bumrah, unusually off rhythm, dished out full tosses and both batsmen cashed in, drilling fours straight, square and fine. Another Ferreira hit — a 96-metre pull off Bumrah — had captain Suryakumar Yadav momentarily admiring the strike.
And when Ferreira launched yet another clean blow to take South Africa past 200, the Proteas dugout rose as one, sensing they had put down something substantial.
In the end, the pair added 53 off just 23 balls, finishing unbeaten and full of momentum. India, meanwhile, leaked 22 extras, struggled for consistency, and saw their death-overs plans dismantled by sheer hitting power.
Varun stood out with 2 for 29, but the rest of the attack will know they were put to the sword on a pitch offering freedom to all who dared swing big.
India now require 214, a steep pursuit, to keep the series alive under lights in New Chandigarh.
