Quinton de Kock’s 90 Powers South Africa to 213/4 Against India in 2nd T20I

Chandigarh, Dec 2025 : South Africa posted a formidable 213/4 in 20 overs in the second T20I against India at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, thanks to a scintillating 90 off 46 balls from opener Quinton de Kock. The left-handed batter set the tone with aggressive strokeplay, sending five fours and seven sixes over the ropes and exploiting the leg-side gaps with remarkable precision. His second-wicket partnership of 83 runs with skipper Aiden Markram laid the foundation for South Africa’s competitive total.

India’s bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught under heavy dew, which made gripping the ball difficult. Arshdeep Singh conceded nine wides in his four-over spell, while Jasprit Bumrah missed several yorkers, letting de Kock capitalize on loose deliveries. Varun Chakravarthy emerged as the pick of India’s bowlers, claiming 2/29, and Axar Patel extracted some help late to finish with 1/27. Despite these efforts, South Africa regained control in the death overs, with David Miller (20 not out) and Donovan Ferreira (30 not out) contributing a rapid 53 runs off just 25 balls, pushing the total past 210.

After winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first. De Kock immediately attacked, punishing Arshdeep for two sixes and a four in the third over. He and Reeza Hendricks took advantage of short deliveries, sending Bumrah over mid-wicket and long-on for sixes in the fourth over. India’s introduction of spin brought the first breakthrough in the fifth over, as Chakravarthy clean-bowled Hendricks with a quicker delivery skidding through the pitch, marking his dominance over the batter, having dismissed him three times in just seven T20I balls.

However, de Kock continued his punishing display, targeting Axar Patel in the sixth over with a towering six, before dispatching Hardik Pandya and Chakravarthy for successive boundaries. While Markram struggled initially, de Kock reached his fifty off just 26 balls with a crisp leg-side whip off a Pandya full toss, later adding a massive six off Axar and taking full advantage of Arshdeep’s erratic 11th over, which yielded 18 runs including seven wides.

Markram appeared to find his rhythm with consecutive sixes off Chakravarthy but fell attempting another big shot, caught at deep mid-wicket for Chakravarthy’s second wicket. De Kock continued to dominate before being dismissed for 90, as India’s wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma made a sharp left-handed parry and broke the stumps, denying him a century.

South Africa’s lower order contributed crucial runs in the death overs. Axar Patel removed Dewald Brevis with a top-edge pull caught at long-on, but Miller and Ferreira combined for six boundaries in the final three overs, ensuring South Africa crossed the 210-run mark and set a challenging target for India.

Brief scores: South Africa 213/4 in 20 overs – Quinton de Kock 90, Donovan Ferreira 30*; Varun Chakravarthy 2-29, Axar Patel 1-27.

India now face a stiff chase on a dew-affected pitch, where conditions may slightly favor the batters in the second innings.

Team Maverick