Miller, van der Dussen pull off South Africa’s highest chase in T20Is
David Miller and Russie van der Dussen added an unbeaten 131-run stand
David Miller and Russie van der Dussen added an unbeaten 131-run stand

DAVID Miller (64* off 31) and Rassie van der Dussen (75* off 46) put on an unbeaten 131-run stand off just 63 balls as South Africa hunted down India’s 211 to record their highest successful chase in T20Is.
By taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, they also ended India’s quest for a record-setting 13th straight win in T20I cricket.

Anything but that, really! Miller had to handhold Rassie van der Dussen through a particularly patchy phase in the middle that saw the visitors needing 126 off the final 10.
van der Dussen, struggling for his timing, had crawled to 20 off 21 when Miller hit a six and a four off Harshal Patel in the 12th over and followed that up by plundering 19 off the next from Axar Patel.

Those two overs had followed a particularly troubling phase for South Africa when they managed just 25 runs between overs six and 10.

Miller, who hit another six and a four off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bring up a 22-ball 50, allowed his partner to find his hitting range. He eventually did but not before a stroke of luck allowed him to do so, as Shreyas Iyer put down a straightforward chance at deep mid-wicket. A chase of this magnitude needed firepower from both end and van der Dussen provided just that post his reprieve.

He clubbed Harshal Patel for three sixes and a four in an over to cut the chase down to size. 34 off 18 became 12 off 12 before South Africa romped home with five balls to spare.
While Miller and van der Dussen were the centrepieces of the chase, South Africa were well served by a tactical move to promote Dwaine Pretorius to No.3. The all-rounder set the tone for the chase with a 13-ball 29, effectively taking down Yuzvendra Chahal, who was bowled in the power-play as a match-up ploy against Quinton de Kock. Pretorius’ cameo meant South Africa had 61 in the power-play, 10 more than India had achieved when they were put in to bat.

India displayed a refreshing side to their T20 batting as they kept attacking through the innings. Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 51 in the power-play despite looking scratchy on a pitch that proved tacky at the start of play.

There was no let-off for South Africa after the fielding restrictions, as overs 6-10 brought another 51 runs. Both Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were particularly effective in taking down the pair of left-arm spinners in South Africa’s ranks, their combined five overs costing the visitors 70.

Kishan fell for a 48-ball 76 after adding 80 with Iyer off just 6.4 overs. He passed on the baton to the likes of Pant (29 off 16) and the returning Hardik Pandya (31* off 12) who helped India post their highest score against South Africa in the format. Against the hitting prowess of Miller and van der Dussen, it proved insufficient. (Cricbuzz)

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