XtraTime Web Desk: A well rounded effort from the Proteas as they beat the hosts India by nine wickets. Kohli surprised everyone by opting to bat first as he thought it’s a good chasing ground, but wanted to test the team batting first with the T20 WC in mind. India did actually well to get off to a good start, but the Proteas understood pace off the ball was the key on this dry surface. Beuran Hendricks and Bjorn Fortuin were spot on, although Radaba got a bit of stick initially. None apart from Dhawan could get a hang of the surface and India struggled at the death to time the slower balls.
After the game Indian skipper was bit disappointed as he said, “This is the template we want to follow before the T20 WC. We should be able to find the answers. South Africa bowled really well, the pitch suited them really well in the first innings. In T20 cricket chasing is relatively easier because in other formats you need to bat longer and string partnerships, here a decent partnership of 40-50 in no time can take the game away from you. We will try to get the squad composition right as soon as we can. At the moment the guys who have done well in domestic cricket are getting opportunities. It’s not like we are playing random people. They have done well to be here and they are good enough. We will have odd games like these as well.” Kohli backed his young boys as he said,”we have got to understand that this is a young side as well. I think we will have to give them a bit of time to come together. We batted till 9 tonight, so that’s one area we are looking to strengthen and go into the big tournament with the best possible combination.”
The South African skipper Quinton de Kock was delighted as his boys were on top and also the wicket keeper batsman was awarded the Man of the Tournament trophy. The Proteas Skipper said, “I think we kept it nice and simple with the ball, hitting the good length. Beuran came in and bowled really well, he read the situation right tonight. We fixed one or two things quickly with the ball from the last game, for them to act quickly was a positive for me. The intensity and the fielding parts are also things that really impressed me. As long as the boys are hungry, I am perfectly happy with that.”
Beuran Hendricks who took two wickets and gave away just 14 runs in his 4 overs got the man of the match award. The young bowler said, “It was one of those days where things worked for me, so used my opportunity well. Lot of hard work put in behind the scene, so happy with that. Normally I don’t look at the pitch while warming up. Consistency is the key.”