IND vs SA 2nd T20I Highlights: South Africa outplayed India by 51 runs

Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube settle in with quick singles, while both hitters, Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma, deliver explosive sixes. South Africa strikes back with Jitesh Sharma’s dismissal (27 off 17), but Tilak Varma keeps the momentum alive with a towering six, showing aggressive intent.

Jitesh Sharma is in aggressive touch, scoring freely with a SIX, a FOUR, and quick singles despite a near-dismissal when the ball clipped the stumps. A fielding error from Linde allowed him to capitalize further, keeping India’s innings lively.

Tilak Varma dominated the over, launching a massive slog-sweep for six to bring up his fifty in style. He added a couple more runs with a clever chip over mid-off, while Hardik Pandya rotated the strike but couldn’t fully connect with his shots. A strong over for India, driven mostly by Tilak’s clean hitting.

Ottneil Baartman delivered a brilliant, disciplined over, mixing yorkers, hard lengths, and straighter lines to keep both Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma quiet. India managed just five singles in the entire over, with no boundary opportunities offered. South Africa tightened the screws, building pressure heading into the death phase.

Linde kept things tight with his stump-to-stump lengths, allowing just four singles in the over. Hardik Pandya continued to struggle for timing, surviving via an inside edge, while Tilak Varma rotated strike but couldn’t find a boundary. India’s innings remained stagnant, with pressure steadily building as South Africa maintained control with disciplined spin bowling.

Tilak Varma continued to look composed, finding boundaries and rotating strike efficiently, while Axar Patel finally broke free with a much-needed six after overs of struggle. Ferreira faced immediate pressure as India targeted him early in the over. Off the field, the sentiment grew stronger: frequent shuffling of India’s batting order is hurting consistency, and experts argue it's time to settle on a stable lineup for sustained performance.

Tilak Varma injected momentum into India’s innings with a rapid-fire burst, a four and a six in consecutive balls capitalizing on Sipamla’s loose deliveries. Axar Patel, however, continued to struggle for timing, managing just a single amid multiple mistimed shots. India gained some stability thanks to Tilak’s positive intent, but Axar’s struggles kept the pressure on.

Axar Patel battled through a scratchy start against Lungi Ngidi, struggling for timing before finally relieving the pressure with a much-needed four over covers off the last ball of the over. Ngidi continued to keep things tight with good lengths, giving Axar very little room to work with.

Ngidi delivered an action-packed first over, removing Shubman Gill for a golden duck with a brilliant away-seamer. Abhishek Sharma countered with an attacking six and a few runs, while Axar Patel swung and missed his first ball.

David Miller punished Jasprit Bumrah’s rare off day, smashing three fours and a couple of easy runs in an over filled with missed yorkers and full tosses. Meanwhile, updated stats show how Quinton de Kock dominated Arshdeep Singh today, especially against short and back-of-length deliveries.

Shivam Dube’s over goes for runs as Brevis and de Kock rotate the strike effectively. Brevis smashes a spectacular six over long-off, while singles keep the scoreboard ticking. South Africa continues to build momentum in the middle overs.

Shivam Dube’s over proves costly as Brevis and de Kock find gaps and rotate the strike effectively. Brevis unleashes a powerful four over mid-off, while singles keep the scoreboard ticking. A wide adds to India’s woes, with South Africa maintaining momentum in the middle overs.

Arshdeep Singh’s over turns into a nightmare as de Kock dominates, hitting two huge sixes and rotating the strike with singles and doubles. The pacer loses control, conceding seven wides in the over, allowing South Africa to reach the 100-run mark. De Kock now equals the record for most 50-plus scores against India in T20Is, leaving India under early pressure.

Hardik Pandya’s over proves expensive as de Kock continues his brilliant form, smashing a four to bring up his 17th T20I fifty. Markram contributes with smart singles and a couple, while a wide adds to the tally. South Africa keeps the momentum going, with de Kock in sublime touch and looking set for a big score.

Hardik Pandya’s over proves tricky but costly. De Kock punishes the width with a four and takes a couple of runs with a flick to deep mid-wicket. Markram nudges a single off a length delivery, while a few dot balls and a wide keep Pandya in the game. South Africa continues to build momentum with smart, aggressive batting from both openers.

Varun Chakaravarthy strikes early for India, dismissing Reeza Hendricks bowled for 8 with a clever carrom ball. Despite the breakthrough, de Kock remains at the crease, keeping South Africa’s innings anchored. The new batter Aiden Markram takes guard, and the over yields a few singles, including a dropped chance, but India gets the crucial first wicket.

Arshdeep Singh’s over was a mix of pressure and punishment. De Kock took him on with a four and a massive 81m six, showcasing his authority with the pull shot. Hendricks managed a single off a brilliant yorker, while the rest were dots. South Africa keep the scoreboard moving, thanks largely to de Kock’s aggression.

Arshdeep Singh opened the over tightly against de Kock, who began cautiously before unleashing a trademark flick for a six over deep square leg. He also picked up a couple with a lofted stroke over covers, but India missed a run-out chance as Tilak failed to hit the stumps with Reeza well short. Overall, de Kock survived some probing deliveries while managing 8 runs off the over.

Aiden Markram: We would have done the same. Looks a pretty good wicket. We would have bowled first. Need to put runs on the board and put them under pressure. Always lessons to take. Need to dive deep into things. You are going to have nights like that. I am not too sure. We will get feedback after the first few overs. We want to put up a good total. We have three changes. Reeza, Linde and Baartman come in.

Suryakumar Yadav: We will bowl first. There's a bit of dew, so bowling first is a good option. This is a wonderful ground. First men's game here, so excited for it. It's really important for the boys to under the responsibility. 175 on that wicket was over par. It was a lovely effort from our bowlers. The balance he provides is amazing. The way he keeps his calm, his overs are also very important for the side. We go with the same team.

Hardik Pandya is just one wicket away from joining an elite list, becoming only the third Indian men's bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets, after Arshdeep Singh (107) and Jasprit Bumrah (101).

If he manages one more dismissal, Pandya will also become the first Indian seamer to record the double of 1000+ runs and 100+ wickets in Men's T20Is. So far, only three spin-bowling all-rounders Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, and Sikandar Raza have achieved this rare milestone.

The IND vs SA 2nd T20 live toss will take place at 6:30 pm IST.

The live coverage between India and South Africa can be watched on Star Sports Network (TV) and Hotstar (OTT).

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (w), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa:Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka