In between the fireworks, the booming tunes, a case of mistaken identity for debutant Nandre Burger and flames (why is that still a thing?) India tied up this T20 series with a thunderous 116-run win at the Wanderers on Thursday night.
It’s a good thing Friday is a public holiday (thank you Springboks) because everyone here will need it, to get the ringing out of their ears. It does defeat the purpose of a large and boisterous crowd, as there was here, when the atmosphere they create is drowned out by music being played after every ball.
But perhaps that’s what market research has told experts in that particular field works. On the cricket one, it was Suryakumar Yadav, whose night ended painfully, who owned proceedings.
India finished on 201/7 after being inserted by Aiden Markram, a hefty total, but one that fell about 20 runs short of where they should have finished, given the way Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal had gone about their third wicket partnership.
However, it turned out to be more than enough, with the Proteas — dismissed for 95 in the 14th over — producing a limp performance with the bat that might have the more superficial of their critics pointing again to problems with chasing.
On Thursday it was simply a case of India’s seamers, led by the effervescent Mohammad Siraj, out-bowling the home team’s quicks.
Earlier Yadav and Jaiswal’s 112-run partnership off 70 balls had put India in charge. The pair ensured the power play was a success for the visitors after Keshav Maharaj had picked up wickets off consecutive deliveries in the third over, with India finishing the opening six-over period scoring at a rate of more than 10 an over.
While Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were able to provide Markram with control, the same couldn’t be said for the South African seamers. Burger was understandably struggling with nerves and couldn’t bowl one side of the wicket, while Lizaad Williams and Andile Phehlukwayo didn’t possess the pace to create any sort of pressure.
Yadav did as he wanted; in the 13th over he hit Phehlukwayo for a trio of sixes and a four as India accelerated in the second half of their innings. Some of Yadav’s wrist work justifiably drew gasps from an enthusiastic crowd that didn’t need the blaring music that followed each ball bowled.
The Indian captain tore the local seam bowlers apart, smashing eight sixes and seven fours in his century, which came off only 56 balls. Yadav joined Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and compatriot Rohit Sharma as the only batters with four T20 International hundreds.
Besides Maharaj, who took 2/26, and Shamsi, who picked up 1/38, it was a chastening evening for the rest of the Proteas bowlers. While there was no assistance from the surface, they didn’t help themselves with inconsistency in both line and length.
It’s unlikely they’ll shift any of the front-line quicks out of the squad, though Burger, who dismissed Rinku Singh with a good short ball and recovered well in his last over, will get further opportunities to stake a claim in the One-Day series that starts on Sunday.
India’s quicks showed what was needed in these conditions — Siraj was too good for Reeza Hendricks, beating the outside edge more than half a dozen times. South Africa’s top four were dismissed by the start of the seventh over, though Siraj had to make do with knowing the pressure he built created wickets for his teammates.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, finished with career best figures of 5/17 as the South African batting order crumbled.
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