De Kock Blitz Sinks India as South Africa Level T20I series

South Africa stormed back into the T20I series against India with a dominant 51-run victory in the second match in New Chandigarh, levelling the five-match contest at 1-1.

The win was built on a blistering innings from Quinton de Kock, whose 90 off 46 balls powered South Africa to an imposing 213 for 4. De Kock struck seven sixes and consistently punished anything short, full, or straight, putting India’s bowlers under relentless pressure. Donovan Ferreira provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls, as South Africa added a decisive late surge to clear 200 comfortably.

India’s bowlers struggled to control the wet ball in heavy dew, conceding 15 wides and several full tosses. Arshdeep Singh endured a particularly difficult night, sending down seven wides in a single over, many of them to de Kock.

Chasing 214, India never recovered from a disastrous start. Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen exploited early movement to remove both openers, and Suryakumar Yadav followed soon after, leaving the hosts 32 for 3 inside four overs. Tilak Varma stood out amid the collapse with a fluent 62 off 34 balls, but lacked sustained support as wickets fell regularly around him.

Ottneil Baartman led South Africa’s bowling with 4 for 24 and sealed the result in emphatic fashion, taking three wickets in the 19th over as India lost their last five wickets for just five runs. India were bowled out for 162 with five balls remaining, handing South Africa a comprehensive victory and renewed momentum heading into the remaining matches.