Chahar & Arshdeep send back half SA side in 15 balls as India secures victory in the first T20I
Chahar & Arshdeep send back half SA side in 15 balls as India secures victory in the first T20I: The moonless sky was not yet entirely dark; some of the stands were only filling up; most attendees were finding their way and sat in the maze of the enormous Greenfield Stadium.
After only 15 balls or less than a tenth of the match had passed, the contest appeared to be over, and the match appeared to be slowly smoldering to a long and gloomy conclusion.
In that respect, the competition was finished before it had started.
Much earlier than KL Rahul’s six off Tabraiz Shamsi with 18 balls remaining sealed India’s eight-wicket victory.
It was all over when South Africa lost five wickets in 15 balls.
T20 matches frequently have blazing openings, but it’s usually the opening batsmen tearing into the bowlers on the front of their shirts.
T20
The last series between Australia and India is a perfect example of how the openers can steamroll the bowlers on ordinary flat surfaces. But this script poked fun at typical Twenty20 storylines.
After 15 balls, the scoreboard read five wickets for nine runs, which had a familiar Test-match feel to it. Except that this was a Twenty20 match, which is designed to have a lot of runs (it goes without saying these days, as the decks could only be batter-friendly in this format).
Chaos developed quickly in South Africa despite warnings. Deepak Chahar took two balls to scare Temba Bavuma.
A low, devilish full throw. Chahar needed the available swing.
Bavuma lacked cricketing knowledge. Or he thought he could stop a swing by swinging. He’s wrong.
The next two shots were missed. Bavuma missed both slaps and slashes.
Disaster struck. Chahar’s in the band.
Bavuma was uncertain about the ball. After three nicks, you bend the ball away once more.
Chahar seduced it. It was a length ball that started outside off-stump, settled on off-stump, and bent inwards, enticing Bavuma into a drive before slipping past his clumsy defense. Six balls into the inning.
Unplayable
The ball was a precious gem, yet it was outshone by something else. David Miller’s stumps were smashed by a wonderful in-swinging delivery from Arshdeep Singh on ball number 12.
A left-arm seamer needs a lot of confidence and control to swing the ball at a left-handed batter from behind the wickets.
A right-handed seamer bowling to a left-hander from above the stumps, for example, has the advantage of a crease-edge angle that can help him avoid hitting the batsman in the body.
What Arshdeep intended, the ball ended up doing. After exploding from his hands, the ball appeared to shape away slightly in the air before changing its trajectory and moving toward the batter.
Miller’s gaze darted in all directions, his thoughts seemingly frozen for a response, his palms sweating, and his feet unable to move. When the mind freezes, the body follows. Miller, with his extensive T20 history, may never have encountered more wicked balls. He took a wild swing at the ball, which was both hot and menacing.
The balls that ended Bavuma and Miller’s careers might have been nearly unplayable, but that doesn’t excuse their ineptitude and lack of judgment.
South Africa has reason to be upset about what occurred between balls six and twelve. On the ninth delivery of the innings, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock sliced the ball back onto the stumps.
The ball was too long when he shaped to cut it. It was obvious that the player was rusty with this stroke.
After being bowled three consecutive balls, Rilee Rossouw swung haplessly at an outswinging ball from Arshdeep. The whooshing in and whistling away of the delivery was delicious, but the ball was just a hair too wide to hurt him if he hadn’t intervened.
Rossouw, like most South African batsmen, had leaden feet, yet in a fit of impatience, he threw his hands at the ball. When they were already in grave trouble at 8/3, Arshdeep shattered Miller’s stumps with a brilliant delivery, reducing them to 8/4.
More carnage
Tristan Stubbs was attempting a cut on the 15th ball of the innings when he was caught by Chahar at deep point. The situation called for a risky stroke, but Chahar got some additional bounce out of it. After falling behind 9–5, South Africa had little chance of coming back.
Thanks to cameos from Keshav Maharaj (41) and Markram (29) and Wayne Parnell (20), they were able to score over 100 and avoid complete humiliation.
Nonetheless, the South African batsmen’s careless hitting and inability to read the pitch contributed just as much to their defeat as India’s seamers’ mastery of the swinging conditions.
Batting was difficult with the new ball but not so difficult that five wickets might be lost in 15 balls.
Perhaps they, like the spectators, were surprised to witness such a swinging ball in a Twenty20 match.
After being pummeled in the Asia Cup and the Australia series, the bowlers might have been truly astonished as well.
Yet, Arshdeep and Chahar deserve credit for making the most of their free time.
While Arshdeep’s ability to swing (he could seam too) has been underappreciated in comparison to Chahar’s, the former’s skill has been well praised. But it happened on Wednesday, increasing his chances of making the World Cup starting lineup.
He exhibits greater variety than meets the eye. He bowled yorkers and cutters at the death and swung the ball both ways to right- and left-handers in his match against South Africa.
The skill is not simply in knowing the variations, but in knowing when and when to employ them.
Arshdeep is apt to choose at the right times. It only took him one over to cause complete chaos. And with 15 balls remaining, the outcome of the game is already assured.
Read more: Sunil Gavaskar ponders the choice of Umesh Yadav over Deepak Chahar.