India opener Ishan Kishan, who is batting for Team India in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa, was chasing the record of former India captain Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the fourth T20I. Ishaan needed just 47 runs to claim the record for the fastest 500 T20I runs. However, the southpaw failed to grab the record as he was dismissed for 27 by South African pacer Enrique Nortje in the sixth over of the first innings.
Ishan Kishan in T20 series against South Africa: 76 (48), 34 (21) and 54 (35) pic.twitter.com/C0Uw1JPGYa
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Ishaan played 26 balls and scored 27 runs with the help of three fours and one six. He was dismissed on the first ball of Nortje’s spell when he bowled the ball to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. Ishaan, who made his T20 debut a year ago, has established himself as one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket. Kishan has so far scored 480 runs in 14 T20I innings at an average of 36.92 and a strike rate of over 130.43. He also has four fifties to his name.
Meanwhile, in the fourth T20I, India scored less. But Karthik opened after taking a few deliveries and shared a 33-ball 65-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (46 off 31 balls) while hitting nine fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 203.7 to take India to a respectable score. ,
Opting to bowl first, Lungi Ngidi provided the breakthrough for South Africa when his back-of-the-length ball got away from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hesitantly pushed. But the extra bounce overtook wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, leaving Gaikwad for just five runs.
Shreyas Iyer’s struggle against the South African pacers continued when he was trapped lbw by an inswinger from left-arm pacer Marco Jensen with only four runs to his name as South Africa made an on-field call via DRS. changed to.
From the other end, it was business as usual for Ishaan Kishan. The left-hander flicks Jensen to mid-wicket for a big six. In the fifth over, Kishan again went behind Jensen, picking up back-to-back boundaries through square-leg and fine-leg as India closed their power-play at 40/2.
On the very first ball after the power-play, Kishan tried to glide over the third man off Enrique Nortje. But the extra bounce behind the pacer’s length ball meant he could only get past de Kock. South Africa with their tough length and variable bounce as well as signs of movement, found it difficult to free Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya despite the India skipper getting a boundary brace.
Pant was almost out in the 12th over when Maharaj went to his right at backward point but could not stop. Hardik Pandya ended the over with successive wrist sixes off Tabrez Shamsi at mid-wicket.
Attempting to go ahead, Pant was down on one knee and tried to swipe a wide ball off Keshav Maharaj in the 13th over. But the ball took the top-edge to short third man, for the fourth time in a row that Pant was dismissed wide of the off-stump. After sweeping Maharaj for a boundary, Karthik smashes Enrique Nortje for a four through off-side while Pandya cuts backward point to collect 15 runs in the 16th over.
Karthik hit three fours by sweep, reverse sweep and long-on and long-off off Maharaj. It was Pretorius’ turn to be carried by Karthik to the cleaners, slog over deep square leg, followed by a brace of fours with a cut and sweep.
Though Pandya slips to the third man to run it off Ngidi, Karthik hits another boundary and completes his half-century by smoking Pretorius over the corner of the cow for six. In an attempt to hit another six, Karthik pulls out a slog-sweep but picks deep square leg to perfection. Axar Patel ended the innings with a boundary off the last ball as India posted 73 runs in the last five overs.
Brief scores: India 169/6 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 55, Hardik Pandya 46; Lungi Ngidi 2/20, Enrique Nortje 1/21) against South Africa