Ahmedabad, Feb 22 (PTI) David Miller blazed an unbeaten 26-ball fifty as South Africa surged to 144 for four at the 15-over mark, even as India ended Dewald Brevis’ explosive knock in their T20 World Cup Super Eights clash here on Sunday.
After being reduced to 20/3 inside four overs, the Proteas mounted a stunning recovery through Miller and Brevis, whose 97-run fourth-wicket stand came off just 51 balls.
India finally got the breakthrough when Shivam Dube, who had earlier been taken apart, induced a mistimed pull from Brevis off a back-of-a-length delivery.
Brevis fell for 45 off 29 balls (3×4, 3×6), failing to get the timing right on his stroke.
Miller, however, remained unfazed and brought up his half-century in style, reaching out to a full ball outside off and flaying it over deep backward point for a six.
He was unbeaten on 62 off 33 balls (7×4, 3×6), with Tristan Stubbs (10 batting) at the other end, as South Africa scored at over nine runs an over and pushed towards a 200-plus total at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where dew could become a factor later in the evening.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah’s double strike along with Arshdeep Singh’s early breakthrough had left South Africa in trouble after they opted to bat.
Miller then turned the tide by attacking Varun Chakravarthy, striking him for back-to-back boundaries.
The duo adopted a clear strategy to target India’s premier spinner, and it paid off as Varun conceded 39 runs from his three overs.
The pressure showed as he kept altering his angles and lengths with his overpitched deliveries were punished, while even the shorter ones were cut away for boundaries.
Dube too erred in line, dishing out full tosses, with Brevis cashing in on. PTI TAP PDS PDS
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