India vs South Africa, 2nd T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: South Africa tour of India, 2022 Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack Date & Time: Jun 12, 07:00 PM LOCAL

Bhuvneshwar's 4/13 went in vain as SA chased down 148 easily. © BCCI

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Klaasen 82 gives South Africa 2-0 lead

They've won 7 straight games across formats against India since they lost that Boxing Day Test in Centurion. Today they were in some trouble at the half-way stage following that superb PowerPlay spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But it was Klaasen's day. He tore apart India's spinners, especially Chahal against whom he has a terrific record in T20Is. Bavuma played a decent hand in that 64-run stand. Thereafter India didn't really have enough to push the game deep. They have a lot of head scratching to do.

Klaasen class

Klaasen vs Chahal in T20s 28 balls 74 runs No dismissals 8 sixes SR 264.28

Pretty straightforward the chase now

34 to win off 30!

The Klaasen counter

13 runs off Chahal, a four off Harshal Patel and three more off Hardik Pandya before a 19-run over against Axar Patel and the complexion of the game has turned. They need 60 off 48 and Klaasen is on 49* off 29. Superb counter-attack!

India spinners this series 1st T20I: 1/66 in 6.1 overs (ER 10.70) 2nd T20I: 1/45 in 4 overs (ER 11.25)

Klaasen vs Chahal

The South Africa keeper-bat gets a move on. Plays an inside-out four over cover and then slog sweeps a six. This is an interesting battle. In a T20I in the 2018 series in South Africa, Klaasen hit 41 off 12 against Chahal! So this is a battle to watch out for.

SA need 92 from 60

Chahal gets Bavuma

Breaks the 64-run stand but also concedes two fours in the over. David Miller joins Klaasen, RRR well in control. But there's not much batting to come.

Three for Bhuvneshwar in the PowerPlay

Good captaincy, even better bowling. The former for persisting with Bhuvneshwar and the latter for nailing his lengths and making the ball dance one way and then another. Rassie van der Dussen was beaten by the inducker and lost his off-stump. South Africa 29/3 in the PP. India on top!

595 10

Middle overs dilemma

Just 29 runs between overs 7-10. The Pant dismissal makes it difficult for India to kick on. Hardik Pandya now poised to play more of the role he does for Gujarat Titans. Onus on the settled Iyer to take more of the chances with two spinners operating in tandem.

The spin battle

Bavuma kept spin away for 8 overs. The ninth, with Shamsi introduced, goes for 14 and is the costliest over of the innings so far. Iyer skips out and hits a four past wide long and then launches a six straight over his head.

Maharaj vs LHB: 16 balls | 36 runs | ER 13.50 Shamsi vs RHB: 16 balls | 37 runs | ER 13.87

Maharaj shows better smarts in the next over, bowls one wide outside off at an onrushing Pant who mistimes his slog to the sweeper cover fielder. India 68/3 in 9.1 overs

The pacy short ball does the trick

This is what South Africa's pacers were after. Nortje gets one exactly right. It's above 145 clicks and rising towards Kishan's ear. He's late on the pull and offers a dolly to square leg. Kishan gone for a breezy 34 off 21.

Different tactics from South Africa

No spin teasers like at Delhi this time around. They are going seam and predominantly hard lengths. It helps that the pitch is a touch two-paced. India though get a bit of a move on in the fourth over, with Nortje bowling a couple in Ishan Kishan's arc and he's whipped them over the legside for sixes.

It's an interesting tactic trying to tuck up Kishan, who struggled more to balls angled across him outside offstump in the IPL.

India 42/1 after the PowerPlay. Not the best but it's been a decent recovery after that sedate start.

Wicket No.50 in T20Is for Rabada

Gaikwad falls in the first over, a tame dismissal really. Pushing a full ball uppishly to backward point. But he was setup quite well by KG Rabada, who bowled four back of a length deliveries before pushing one up further.

Gaikwad's not making the most of his chance to make a fist for the 15-member squad that'll fly to Australia later this year. Remember there's Rohit and Rahul, who are not playing this and Ishan Kishan with his left-handedness is likely to be the best backup squad opener. However, there is a long way to go still...

Toss: South Africa elect to field

The coin flip doesn't go Pant's way again and India will have to set a target on a pitch no captain has any definitive opinions on. The big news from the centre however is that South Africa have two forced changes. Quinton de Kock (hand) and Stubbs miss out with injuries and that brings in Heinrich Klaasen and Reeza Hendricks! India are unchanged.

South Africa (Playing XI): Temba Bavuma(c), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Pitch & Dimensions

The square boundaries are shorter - about 65 metres only. Straighter down the ground it is a 74 metre hit. Deep Dasgupta reckons the pitch could be two-paced with scores expected to be around 160-170.

Preview

Our man Prakash Govindasreenvisan is at the Barabati Stadium and he was tells us how there was a packed stand watching India practice last evening. He also whipped up this preview piece from the venue, something for you to gobble up as we build up to the toss.

Build up

India are 0-1 down in the series but they have much to be happy about the first game, most notably their batting and the approach after losing the toss. Barring a lull when Shreyas Iyer was reined in by hard-length bowling, India never dipped in the intent meter and 211 was a good score against most teams. And most teams wouldn't have David Miller in the form he is in right now.

That said there is work to be done on the bowling front - more so with the execution. Rishabh Pant also needs to figure out how best to use Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled one over in the PowerPlay and didn't finish his quota. Dew is going to be a factor tonight in Cuttack. How will that affect the dynamics? Let's wait and watch. Welcome to the live blog of the 2nd T20I.