IND vs SA 2nd T20I: India team Report card – Virat Kohli back to his best, Rishabh Pant’s flop show continues

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India continued their winning run in T20Is as they defeated South Africa in the 2nd T20I in Mohali. The skipper Virat Kohli led his side from the front as he hammered an unbeaten 72 to help the men in blue chase down the easy total of 150 in 19 overs on a good batting track. Shikhar Dhawan played a supporting role with the bat, scoring 40 in 31 balls, before he was dismissed with David Miller pulling one of the best catches ever seen in cricket.

India took 1-0 lead in the match with the third and final T20I set to take place on Saturday. The Proteas will hope to pull off a win to level the series, but might face a tough task considering the form in which India are in at the moment.

Rohit Sharma – 5/10, Verdict: Average

Rohit Sharma provided a brisk start to India and was looking at his best, slamming two back-to-back sixes off Anrich Nortje. But the batsman could not stay for long after he was trapped by Andile Phehlukwayo for 12. The batsman would be disappointed and will be eager to get more runs on the board in Bengaluru.

Shikhar Dhawan – 8/10, Verdict: Good

Shikhar Dhawan was looking in his element when he was building a partnership with skipper Kohli in the middle following Rohit’s early fall. But he was unlucky to get dismissed before scoring a fifty. On his day, the ball on which he was caught, would have certainly have gone for a boundary.

Virat Kohli(c) – 10/10, Verdict: Excellent

Skipper Virat Kohli showcased he still is one of the best in any formats. He was excellent in the field, taking a brilliant catch to get rid of Quinton de Kock. He was smart in making bowling changes. And then he smashed 72* in 52 balls to take his side home.

Shreyas Iyer – 6/10, Verdict: Average

Shreyas Iyer was not given much to do in the match, but he stuck around in the middle with Kohli, scoring 16 off 14 balls. He did not throw away his wicket, and is slowly rising among the ranks to be India’s no. 4. Even Sourav Ganguly believes he could be the perfect fit in the position.

Rishabh Pant(w) – 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Rishabh Pant’s slump in form continues. Despite numerous warnings from coach Ravi Shastri, skipper Virat Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour, Pant once again threw away his wicket with a poor shot and got out for 4. How many more chances will he get? Time will tell.

Hardik Pandya – 6/10, Verdict: Average

Hardik Pandya was not required to bat in the match, and he was effective with the ball. In his four overs, he gave away 31 runs and cleaned up the dangerous David Miller. He still remains India’s best allrounder, just an inch above Ravindra Jadeja, perhaps.

Krunal Pandya – 2/10, Verdict: Poor

There was nothing for Krunal to do in the match. He was not required to bat, and came out to bowl just one over, in which he gave away 7 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja – 6/10, Verdict: Average

Ravindra Jadeja had a similar outing as Hardik Pandya. He was not required to showcase his batting skills, and had the exact same bowling figures as Pandya. His rise as a bowling allrounder for India continues.

Washington Sundar – 7/10, Verdict: Good

Washington Sundar started the Indian attack and was economical with the new ball. Though he could not get a wicket and South Africa top order batsmen gave the visitors a good start. Sundar gave 19 runs in 3 overs. He could get one more chance but needs to do more if he wants to topple Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad.

Deepak Chahar – 7/10, Verdict: Good

The Indian seamer Deepak Chahar was the pick of India’s bowlers once again. He picked up two wickets and was the most economical of the lot. He is effective with the new ball and is slowly becoming India’s preferable option in T20I cricket. Imagine Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah working in tandem!

Navdeep Saini – 6/10, Verdict: Average

Navdeep Saini picked up the crucial wicket of Quinton de Kock at the right time. He was effective with the ball and despite lack of experience in international cricket, knows how to exploit conditions as per him. He has a tendency to leak runs, which Kohi would not mind as long as he can pick important wickets.