10.44pm: This was fun, wasn't it! The bowlers had something in it all innings, the batters had to apply themselves - good to get such matches once in a while. Anyway, that's it from us tonight. The series continues though with the two teams travelling to Guwahati for the second T20I. As always, we will be here giving you all the updates. Till then, on behalf of Sreshth Shah and Thilak Rama, this is me Ashish Pant signing off. Goodnight and take care!
Srizan: "This is exactly what I was talking about, KL not only anchored the innings so well, he also contributed runs. Just because target is low, doesn't mean you have to go bang bang, especially after Rohit and Kohli returns cheaply. Very sensible batting from KL and of course, SKY is the limit. "
Abhishek: "Liked the way MVP list is built, even though Rahul made a 50, he is way below depending on the situation and what value he brought at that point "
Arshdeep Singh is the Man of the Match for his 3 for 32: Have been thinking about the Man of the Match speech and was excited. There was a lot of help from the surface, and DC (Deepak Chahar) bhai set the tone and I just wanted to execute the plans. Loved the wicket of David Miller, he was expecting the outswinger, but I got that to swing in. So that was great. [Death overs] We wanted to take his [Keshav Maharaj] wicket, but he batted well. We could have had a different plan but we won the match, and that's what matters. Have trained hard at the NCA, and want to perform well going forward.
Rohit Sharma: When you play a game like that you learn a lot. It was nice to play a game like that. [Surface] Not really, not so much. We knew there will be something for the bowlers, but not through the 20 overs we bowled. It was sticky, there was still dampness, and it stayed throughout. There was no sun so it makes it difficult to hit. Both teams were in the contest. We got wickets upfront, and that was the turning point. No matter what the conditions, you still have to execute your plans. When you swing the ball like that any batter will struggle. 107, we knew it was not going to be that easy. We got to respect the conditions at times, understand what shots can be played. We lost two wickets, but that partnership was crucial.
Temba Bavuma: As a batting unit, we failed to apply ourselves, We weren't able to adjust our plans. We saw what Rahul was able to do. [Surface] We didn't expect that, we practiced here two days, ago. We saw the wicket was spicy, but we didn't expect it like that. You expected to hit through the line coming to India. [Three seamers?] Hard to say. Three seamers on that type of wicket you back yourself. To be defending that type of score, you always hope for a miracle. The bating we need to work , and give the bowlers something to defend. Guys like Parni, and Keshav, they showed good fight. The fight was on, but at the end of the day, there weren't too many runs,.
Presentation time
Angad: "Don't know what to make of the match. Was it the pitch, was it the extra pressure of chasing a low total specially after losing two early wickets and the ball doing a bit or was it just the mind. One one hand, KL Rahul made 51 off 56 balls, but the other point of view is that he made 32 of them in just 6 balls (4x6s and 2x4s)"
Pawan: "Full credit to SKY for those 2 sixes on his 2nd, 3rd balls. Bringing momentum back " That was the turning point for me
Afeef: "Rabada should've bowled his fourth over sooner"
Virag: "SKY has to be the motm. 50 off 33 on this pitch and when he came in to bat was tricky. Phenomenal batting."
Here's KL Rahul : This was hard work. Was unbelievable for Surya to come out and play the shots. We saw how the ball was flying and for Surya to come out with that approach was phenomenal. After the first ball, he wanted to be aggressive and take on the bowler. He said he wanted to play his shots and gets some runs. That helped me to take my time and play one end. We did practice here yesterday, and there was a humbling experience as well. So we came in prepared for a scrap. It was not an easy wicket. I wanted to be challenged and wanted to do the job for the team. When the bowlers do such a phenomenal job, it becomes easy for the batters. [Arshdeep] He is growing with each game, and with each outing, he gets better. I have seen him at close quarters in the IPL. He is not afraid of the big stage, bowling to big batters. He keeps growing. This season what he did for his franchise was phenomenal, He is carrying the confidence and doing the job for the team. You always want a left-arm seamer in your line-up. Long ice bath today.
10.15pm The scorecard might say that India won the game comfortably but on a surface where the seamers were always in, the 107-run chase was quite tough. Credit to the South African bowlers as well, who came out hard. However, with the required rate just about five-and-a-half throughout, the batters could afford to take their time. Rabada struck early before Nortje removed Kohli. India played their lowest powerplay in T20s but once Surya came out, the game changed. He was rapped on the knuckles first ball but once he hit Nortje for two successive sixes, there was no looking back. Rahul took his time but held fort. In the end, both batters got to a fifty and India reached the target quite easily.
Shamsi
