India beat S. Africa by 16 runs to win series

David Miller’s second Twenty20 century went in vain as India beat South Africa by 16 runs to win the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Miller scored 106 not out off 47 balls after South Africa had been reduced to 47-3 in reply to India’s 237-3 in the second T20.

Miller put on 174 with Quinton de Kock (69 not out) off 82 balls for the unbeaten fourth wicket.

The visitors finished at 221-3 and fell just short of what was India’s fourth-highest total in T20s.

This was after Suryakumar Yadav smashed 61 off 22 balls and Lokesh Rahul scored 57 off 28 for India, which batted first after losing the toss.

Rahul and Rohit Sharma (43) put on 96 for the opening stand. Yadav then went after South African bowling that was already struggling with high humidity.

Yadav hit five fours and five sixes, reaching his half-century off only 18 balls. It was the third fastest for India in T20s.

Virat Kohli scored 49 not out off 28 balls, and put on 102 runs off 40 deliveries with Yadav for the third wicket.

In reply, South Africa got off to a poor start. Arshdeep Singh (2-62) dismissed Temba Bavuma and No. 3 Rilee Rossouw for ducks.

This cost the Proteas vital early momentum that proved decisive in the end.

It was India’s first-ever bilateral T20 win over South Africa on home soil. It was also South Africa’s first defeat in seven bilateral engagements.

“India put us under pressure from the start. It allowed us to express ourselves,” Miller said. “We had to go from ball 1 (but) we were just 16 runs short.”

The third T20 will be played in Indore on Tuesday in both sides’ final T20 warmups before the World Cup gets underway in Australia later this month.

India won the first T20 by eight wickets on Wednesday. It did not make any changes Sunday to that team.