India post massive 237/3, Suryakumar and Rahul shine again

GUWAHATI: India posted a daunting total after stunning half-centuries from Suraykumar Yadav and KL Rahul. South African pacers were put against the barrel by the Indian batters as they mounted a superb total, giving the opposition an uphill task.

After being put in to bat first by the South African captain Temba Bavuma, India started their innings with KL Rahul and captain Rohit Sharma taking the crease.

KL Rahul picked up from where he left off in the last game and caressed a superbly timed boundary on the very first ball of the innings off Kagiso Rabada, opening the Indian scoreboard with four runs. The Indian captain helped himself with two boundaries in the next over bowled by Wayne Parnell as the Indian innings started to gain momentum.

Sharma danced down the track to pacer Lungi Ngidi in the next over to smash the first six of the innings. Parnell came back for his second over of the innings but was taken to the cleaners by the Indian openers as both the batsmen combined to smash a six and two boundaries of the over to accumulate 15 runs from the over.

The Indian duo looked in no mood to relax and made full use of the fielding restrictions, hitting boundaries every now and then. India ended the powerplay with 57 runs without any loss of wicket. Rohit Sharma made 29 (25) while KL Rahul ended with 25(11) from the first six overs.

Both the opening batters continued the onslaught taking apart the South African bowlers and stitched together a 96-run partnership before the Indian captain was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj in the 10th over of the inning.

India was at 96/1 after completing half the quota of overs with KL Rahul scoring 48 off just 22 deliveries while Virat Kohli still to open his account having faced just one ball.

Rahul brought up his half-century with a handsome six, hitting a clean strike down the ground of Markram in the 11th over. However, the batter was found in front of the stumps in the very next over.

Maharaj picked up his second wicket of the match and dismissed Rahul for a well-made 57 off 28 balls which included five boundaries and four towering sixes. The wicket of Rahul brought in the in-form Suryakumar Yadav who needed no invitation to go ballistic right from the word go.

Yadav swept his third ball for a four and made his intentions very clear. Kohli and Yadav made great use of the superb platform set by the Indian openers as the duo kept scoring at a quick rate. Rabada came onto bowl the 15th over and faced the fury of Suryakumar's bat as the Indian absolutely decimated the pacer, hitting him for two sixes and two fours, clinching 22 runs off the over.

Suryakumar carried on the mayhem as he smashed two more sixes to bring up his fifty off just 18 balls in the 17th over. Kohli who had been playing second fiddle until now also joined the party and smashed three boundaries in quick succession.

The crowd was witnessing an absolute mockery of the South African bowling but it came to a minute halt after Suryakumar was run out at the beginning of the 19th over, ending his blazing knock. Suryakumar smashed 61 off 22 balls with the help of five boundaries and five sixes.

Kohli carried finding boundaries and struck two more to take 10 runs off the 19th over. Dinesh Karthik took the crease in the final over, a situation absolutely tailor-made for the batsman.

Karthik bludgeoned two sixes and a four in the final over to snatch 18 runs and take India to a massive score of 237/3. Kohli missed yet another 50-plus score as he ended with 49 off 28 balls.

Brief Score: India 237/3 (Surayakumar Yadav 61(22), KL Rahul 57(28); Keshav Maharaj 2/23) vs South Africa.