India Vs South Africa, 2nd T20I: Proteas Beat Men In Blue By Five Wickets Via DLS Method In Gqeberha; RSA - 154/5 (13.5 Overs), IND - 180/7 (19.3 Overs)

Reeza Hendricks registered a blistering 49 as South Africa defeated India by five wickets (DLS) in a rain-hit second T20I in Gqeberha. With this victory, the home side took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series with the decided to be played on Thursday. The first T20I was a wash-out in Durban. Earlier, India posted 180/7 in 19.3 overs before rain intervened. Rinku Singh was unbeaten on 68 off 39 whereas Gerald Coetzee was stranded on a hattrick. The Proteas jolted the visitors early with wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, respectively. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav set the tone for a big total with his quickfire fifty. Follow scores and updates of the IND vs RSA, 2nd T20I here. (Streaming | Key Battles | 1st T20I Highlights | Cricket News)

13:51am: And That's A Wrap

And with that, we end our live updates session. Goodbye!

12:43am: Indian Skipper Suryakumar Yadav On The Defeat

"They batted beautifully in the first 5-6 overs and took the game away from us. It was the brand of cricket we were talking about, just go out and express ourselves. It was tough with the wet ball, but we would face similar situations in the future and it's a good learning for us."

12:37am: Proteas Beat India By Five Wickets Via DLS Method; RSA 154/5, IND 180/7 (19.3)

Despite a few hic-ups in the middle, the home side have won the game in a canter. Led by Reeza Hendricks' 49 and Aiden Markram's 30, the Proteas have won this T20I by five wickets via DLS method. For India, Mukesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with 2/34.

12:22am: Proteas Need 12 Runs, India Need Wickets; RSA - 140/5 (13 Overs), IND - 180/7 (19.3 Overs)

Despite the departure of David Miller, Proteas are in the hotseat to win the game with five wickets down. India, on the other hand, require wickets to make it interesting.

12:04am: South Africa Lose 3 Wickets In Fifteen Balls As India Fightback, RSA - 116/4 (10 Overs), IND - 180/7 (19.3 Overs)

The Proteas lost three wickets in fifteen balls as the visitors fought back in the 2nd T20I. Despite Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks punishing the Indian bowlers, the latter send them back as they lost Heinrich Klaasen too in the run-chase.

11:36pm: South Africa On The Rampage As Indian Bowlers On The Backfoot, RSA - 67/1 (5 Overs), IND - 180/7 (19.3 Overs)

Aiden Markam and Reeza Hendricks have put the indian bowlers on the backfoot with their hard-hitting batting as the home side raced away to 67 for the loss of one wicket in the first five overs.

11:32pm: Matthew Breetzke Goes Early As Aiden Markram Hits Hat-trick Of Fours Against Mukesh Kumar

Proteas lost the wicket of Matthew Breetzke in a run-out but that did not matter as the home side are in a hurry to reach the 152 target. Skipper Aiden Markam hit a hat-trick of fours off Mukesh Kumar's over.

11:16pm: Play Resumes As Proteas Begin Chase

Set a target of 152 (via DLS Method) the home side will need to chase down the target in 15 overs. Mohammed Siraj bowled the first over and conceded 14 runs.

11:01pm: Rain Stops As Play To Resume At 11:10 PM IST, Match To Be 15-Over Game

15-Over Match As Play To Resume Shortly In Gqeberha; IND - 180/7 (19.3 Overs). The powerplay would be for 5 overs. Proteas need 152 to win.

10:42pm: Still Raining In Gqeberha

Latest visuals show that it is still raining at the ground and we could start losing overs.

10:18pm: Rains Are Back And It's Pouring In St George's Park In Gqeberha

Players are off the field as rains are back as it is pouring down. With just three deliveries left to finish the Indian innings, let's hope it's just a passing cloud.

9:53pm: Suryakumar Yadav Falls After Fifty, Rinku Singh Looks For A Big Finish, IND - 141/4 (15 Overs)

Suryakumar Yadav completed his fifty but was out off Tabraiz Shamsi's bowling as the skipper departed. However, Rinku Singh has looked dangerous after a quiet start and has started to score runs quickly.

9:25pm: Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh Eye Huge Score, IND - 84/3 (10 Overs)

After the loss of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh walked in to the crease and survived couple of stumping calls. Suryakumar Yadav has been phenomenal with the bat as he scored 43 (27) in this phase. The duo have added 30+runs to the partnership as India eye huge score.

9:13pm: Rinku Singh Joins The Crease With The Fall Of Tilak Varma

Indian batter Rinku Singh has joined skipper Suryakumar Yadav after the fall of Tilak Varma who was sent back by Gerald Coetzee.

9:00pm: India Steady After Early Wickets Of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, IND - 53/2 (5 Overs)

Team India have recovered well after early wickerts of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav have steadied the ship after Proteas ran through the opening pair in the first two overs.

8:34pm: Action Begins, Yashasvi Jaiswal Falls On Third Ball

Action has finally begun in the 2nd T20I between South Africa and India in Gqeberha. And Yashasvi Jaiswal has fallen on the third delivery of the match.

8:18pm: Pitch Report

Square boundaries are 64m and 67m, straight hit is 77m. Average bounce in South Africa is 8cm more than what it is in India, but here at St George's Park it's not so much so India will be comfortable here. Lots of grass on the pitch today so that it can hold the surface together. Many batters complain about ball hitting bottom of the bat, but I don't think they need to worry about it today - says Pommie Mbangwa

8:08pm: South Africa Win Toss, Elect To Bowl First

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar.

South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi

8:00pm: Rain Have Stopped, Players Doing Warm-up

As per visuals from the ground, rain have stopped at Gqeberha and the players are seen to be going through warm-ups.

7:45pm: Rains Again To Spoil The Party In 2nd T20I?

As per the BCCI official X account, there is a slight drizzle at the ground.

About 40 minutes to toss and we are witnessing a steady drizzle. ☔ #SAvIND https://t.co/eMsb79d2UN pic.twitter.com/28bzBMBY98
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 12, 2023

7:27pm: Pre-Match Thoughts From Team Captains

“You’d like to know them on a deeper level before going into the series with them. We’ve had a few good days together trying to get to know them and understanding what makes them tick. The nature of cricket is that series come thick and fast and there’ll be times when new guys are in and they are going to have to find their feet quickly, and we are going to do our best to help them settle down and be as relaxed as they can be in the environment. It’s a tricky one but the group we have here is a great bunch of guys.” — Aiden Markram on captaining the relative strangers in his team.

“The guys I’m watching in T20 cricket right now are very expressive. They don’t have a lot of fear of failure. Whatever happens — if they do well or if they don’t get runs on that given day — their attitude remains the same on and off the field. That balance is really important when you play this sport.” — Suryakumar Yadav on the irresistible impetuousness of T20’s younger players

7:10 pm: Will Shubman Gill Play Tonight?

Will Indian batting star and 'Most Searched Sports Star in 2023 On Google' Shubman Gill play in the second T20I against South Africa at St George's Park in Gqerberha. Check out our likely XI here

6:15pm: Preview
The Suryakumar Yadav-led India are fresh from a 4-1 triumph over Australia at home, and will be raring to replicate the feat in challenging South African conditions. Considering the prevalent seamer-friendly conditions in South Africa, we might see just one spinner in the Indian XI, and that would either be Kuldeep Yadav or Ravi Bishnoi. In the top-order, only two of Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to play the second T20I.

6pm: Head-To-Head Record
India and South Africa have played each other 25 times in the shortest format. India lead the head-to-head record as they have defeated the Proteas in 13 matches while the South African side have come victorious on 10 occasions. Two matches, including the first T20I of the ongoing series, have finished without results.

Preview:
After incessant rain turned the first T20I into a damp squib, India now head to St George's Park in Gqeberha for their second 20-over contest in the three-match series against South Africa. The game assumes additional importance, not just in context of the series outcome, but also as a fine-tuning exercise ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in June 2024

Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee (1st and 2ndT20Is), Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen (1st and 2nd T20Is), Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, and Lizaad Williams.