Player of the Match
Player of the Match
, play 03:56
Pathan: India favourites to win the first T20I

Irfan Pathan previews the first T20I between South Africa and India

  • Bhuvneshwar's strangle does the trick

    The correlation between intent and wickets is low in T20 cricket. It's more about stifling batman and forcing them into low-percentage shots. Bhuvneshwar Kumar knows that; it is what he did in Jo'burg

  • South Africa's short-ball plan slides wide

    South Africa's plan of bowling short to bridge the gap between India's experienced, confident batsmen and their own struggles went awry when their inexperienced bowlers erred in line

  • A glimmer of hope for Suresh Raina

    With India still searching for a fix in the ODI middle order ahead of next year's World Cup, a good performance in the T20Is against South Africa could set the batsman on the road to a long-term comeback

  • Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar give India 1-0 lead

    Shikhar Dhawan's 72 off 39 balls led India to a total of 203, which they defended comfortably thanks to a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar

  • New-look SA aim for redemption after ODI debacle

    After the 5-1 defeat in the ODIs, the hosts will be led by JP Duminy in the T20Is while Suresh Raina may feature in India' XI

Bhuvi's blast

1

Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first India fast bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is and with this he is also the first to take five-fors in all 3 International formats.

India's highest

0

No. of 200-plus totals for India against South Africa in T20Is before this match. 203/5 in this match is India's highest score v SA in 11 matches.

Top start

78

Runs for India in powerplays - their most in any T20I. The previous highest was 77 against Sri Lanka in Nagpur in 2009.