India vs South Africa 1st T20I: David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen fire South Africa to seven-wicket win over India

Rishabh Pant would have believed that his first game as India captain was a perfect one. Then David Miller happened. Needing 126 runs in 10 overs to chase down the 212-run target set by India, Miller and Rassie van der Dussen finished with an unbeaten 131-run partnership and ending India’s streak of T20I wins with five balls to spare. Miller, with his unbeaten 31-ball 64, has shown he is in a zone where he can chase down any target with consummate ease as he has been doing over the past two months for Gujarat Titans in the IPL. IND vs SA 1st T20I: AS IT HAPPENEDThe excruciating heat and the vociferous packed house at Ferozeshah Kotla were triumphed by the chasing genius of Miller who allowed Dussen to take his time and then unleash himself on the Indian bowling attack in the back end of the chase. Shreyas Iyer’s dropped a sitter off Dussen’s bat at deep mid-wicket when he was on 25 and he ensured the Indian team rued it big time.

On the face of it, it may seem India have fielded a second string team but the bowling attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Hasrhal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya took the field after building great reputation in the IPL. Miller and Dussen demolished all of that in 40 minutes of clean ball-striking in front of the wicket. India’s endeavor to shed the conservative approach to T20 batting was undone by the persistent inadequacies with the white-ball in the death overs. India’s white-ball death bowling has been an issue for a while and the South Africans exposed the frailties yet again on a lively Kotla track. Barring Avesh, who finished with figures of 0/35 in his four overs, nobody could find the block hole in the back end when Miller and Dussen. The Indian