IND vs SA: Enjoyed Dismissing David Miller But Wanted Keshav Maharaj Wicket As Well - Player Of The Match Arshdeep Singh

The Men in Blue kickstarted their campaign against the Proteas with a comfortable 8-wicket win at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram to take a 1-0 lead in the 7match T20I series.

KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav hit half-centuries as India chased down a trivial total of 108 after a star performance from India’s bowling department.

Arshdeep Singh lauds Deepak Chahar for setting the tone early

Speaking after his extraordinary display, Player of the Match Arshdeep Singh said, “I had thought about what to say if I get the man of the match award and got a little excited (when he was eager to come and talk). In the first over DC bhai (Deepak Chahar) set the tone and we knew there was plenty of help from the surface. The plan was to keep it simple and bowl in the right areas.”

“I enjoyed Miller’s wicket as I thought he was expecting an outswinger but I bowled an inswinger instead. The thought was to get his (Maharaj) wicket but he played well and the plan could have been different. I am refreshed, had a good training session at NCA and hopefully I give such performances moving forward as well,” concluded the 23-year-old pacer.

Match Highlights

India cruised to a comfortable win to seal the opening tie after a sublime batting display from Suryakumar Yadav (50*) and KL Rahul (51*). Chasing 108, India faltered early losing both marquee batsmen – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply. However, the duo of SKY and Rahul took on the mantle to steady the chase and see things out to ensure the Men in Blue get over the line comfortably.

Earlier, Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh set the stage with terrific bowling. Arshdeep bagged three wickets while Chahar managed two wickets to restrict Proteas to 106/8 in 20 overs.

While Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh put up a super display with the ball, rattling Proteas, it was Keshav Maharaj who waged a lone battle with a 41-run knock taking South Africa to 106/8 from 9/5 in three overs. Aiden Markram (25) and Wayne Parnell (24) were the only other batters to reach double-digits in the Proteas lineup.

ALSO READ: IND vs SA: Watch – Arshdeep Singh Spits Fire To Decimate Quinton de Kock’s Wicket