In one of the more recent T20 disappointments, Team India faced a crushing defeat at the hands of South Africa. After an ugly batting collapse, the team completely imploded. The Indian side struggled to post an imposing target during the clash on [insert date] at [insert venue]. In reply, they were skittled for just 162 runs to end their innings in sadness.
India endured a terrifying beginning to the match when opener Shubman Gill was removed without scoring. They soon found themselves at 9 for 1 in the very first over! His early exit established the mood for a tough innings. Abhishek Sharma followed up after Gill’s wicket, clobbering 17 runs from just 8 deliveries. He himself fell quickly thereafter, departing India at 19 for 2 in the second over.
Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket went down soon after that, with India at 32 for 3 in the fourth over. Seemingly India’s last hope at stabilizing their catastrophic innings, Axar Patel came to the crease. He could manage only 21 runs off 21 balls before being bowled, leaving his team reeling at 67 for 4 in the eighth over.
Things went from bad to worse after the dismissal of the player seen as the mainstay of the recovery – Hardik Pandya. He departed at 118 for 5 in the 15th over. The middle-order collapse deepened when Jitesh Sharma fell at 157 for 6. With not much time left, abbreviation Shivam Dube’s wicket at 158 for 7 put India in more trouble.
The tail-enders were unable to do so, crippling their chances for any impact. When Arshdeep Singh fell at 162 for 8, and Varun Chakravarthy followed in quick succession, India were on the precipice of humiliation. Tilak Varma rounded off the innings by being last man out at 162 for 10 in the last over.
Ottneil Baartman proved to be the match-winning bowler for South Africa, taking 4-33 and shredding the Indian batting lineup. South African Lungi Ngidi had the strongest first impression by taking two wickets. His remarkable bowling effort continued to put pressure on the Indian batsmen.
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