India Struggles Against South Africa in 2nd T20I, Scores Below Par 124/6

Gqeberha, South Africa - The Indian cricket team faced a challenging outing in the second T20I against South Africa, managing only 124 for six on a bouncy pitch here on Sunday. The South African bowlers, led by Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, delivered a disciplined performance, putting the brakes on India's typically aggressive batting line-up.

After winning the toss, South African captain Aiden Markram opted to bowl first, a decision that paid dividends early on as the Proteas exploited the pitch conditions to their advantage. The bowlers consistently hit the back of a length, utilizing the natural bounce to trouble the Indian batsmen.

The innings started on a shaky note for India with Sanju Samson, who had previously scored back-to-back T20I centuries, falling for a duck. Attempting to clear mid-off, Samson was bowled by Jansen, who also bowled a wicket maiden in his opening over. The early dismissal set the tone for a difficult innings.

Abhishek Sharma's struggles in T20Is continued as he was dismissed for a low score, miscuing a pull shot off Coetzee into the hands of Jansen. The pressure mounted with each dot ball, and the Indian top-order crumbled under it.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, known for his flair, was outsmarted by Andile Simelane, who got his maiden international wicket by trapping Yadav lbw. By the end of the Power Play, India were reeling at 34 for three.

Axar Patel, promoted up the order, provided some resistance with a fluent 27 off 21 balls, including a fine boundary through the covers. However, his innings ended abruptly when he was run out in an unfortunate mix-up with Hardik Pandya.

Pandya, despite his reputation as a power hitter, found boundaries hard to come by, taking 28 deliveries for his first four. His 39 off 45 was the highest score for India, but even his efforts could not lift the total significantly.

The match saw a 30-ball boundary drought from the 10th to the 16th over, broken only when Arshdeep Singh hit a six off leg-spinner Peter Nqabayomzi.

South Africa's bowling attack, with its precision and strategic use of the pitch, showcased their dominance in home conditions, setting up an intriguing chase to secure the series.