🏏India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI - Ranchi🏏 - Page 9

South Africa (49.6/50 ov) 278/7

India

Current RR: 5.56

• Last 5 ov (RR): 27/2 (5.40)

RSA 278/7 (50)

CRR: 5.56

Target for India --279

Here's Reeza Hendricks: Nice to get out there and contribute to the team. I would have loved to get to three figures but will take the contribution. It was nice to bat with Aiden and to set up a good score. We got out at the wrong time, should have pushed to be at the end. We were thinking at least 285 and 300 was on the cards if one of us stayed through. They bowled well at the end. It was a tricky wicket, not easy for a new batter. We did not have the game to get to 300.

Just the 57 runs off the last 60 balls for South Africa for the loss of two wickets.

Just the 57 runs off the last 60 balls for South Africa for the loss of two wickets. At one point when Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks were going strong, it seemed the visitors would easily breach the 300-run mark. They put on 129 runs for the second wicket, but once the stand was broken, the Indians found a way back. Heinrich Klaasen also batted well, but the hosts struck at regular intervals. Mohammed Siraj was brilliant at the death and so was Shardul Thakur. Markram scored 79, Hendricks 74, while Siraj was teh pick of the Indian bowlers returning 3 for 38. There is a bit of dew out there, which will make bowling a little tougher. Having said that, South Africa have a score on the board and they will be confident of defending it.

Excellent comeback from India in the final 10 overs. SA were well on course for a 300-plus score when Markram and Hendricks were batting. The pair looked to be batting on another surface, tackling the bowlers efficiently with a nice mix of caution and aggression. However, once that big partnership was broken, India started to claw their way back into the game. Markram too fell soon and only 41 runs came off the final 48 deliveries. India's bowlers all used the slower balls well, hitting the deck with that pace-off, and the older ball looked almost unhittable in the death overs. SA will be disappointed at not getting another 15-20 runs at least, but in totality, this looks a very competitive score. The surface isn't the easiest, particularly against the older ball, and only dew can even up that factor. Dhawan said he expected dew, so let's see how that pans out

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Reeza Hendricks: Nice to get out there and get some time in the middle and contribute as well as I did. Obviously would have loved to have gone to three-figures, but I will take the contribution at the end. Nice batting with Aiden, we knew that partnership at the time was to set up a good innings, unfortunately both of us got out at the wrong time. We needed one of us to push hard and be there at the end and with the batting at the end, we would have posted a bit of a better score. We were thinking at least 285. 300 was definitely on the cards had one of us batted through. They bowled well at the end, not easy as it's a tricky wicket and not easy for the new batter coming in.

A stat nugget from Sampath: Among the 408 instances of bowlers bowling three of the last five overs of an ODI innings (46-50) since 2007, only two bowlers have conceded less than the 7 runs by Mohammed Siraj today - 4 runs by Mustafizur Rahman vs PAK in 2018 and 6 runs by Dan Christian vs SL in 2012.

Kumar : "Markram and Hendricks scored most of the runs with straight bat. SA tried to play lot of cross batted shots in last to overs and fell short of 15-20 runs. Interesting to see the chase under lights. "

Welcome back. South Africa are in a huddle as we come back for the chase.