India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, defeated South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20 match at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. During the match, former India opener Aakash Chopra took a dig at Pakistan batsman Sahibzada Farhan, while praising fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
When invited to bat first, India scored 175 runs at the loss of 6 wickets. Arshdeep Singh set the tone with early successes in the powerplay. The visiting team never recovered and were out for just 74 runs in 13 overs. Bumrah and Arshdeep secured a spectacular victory for the host team by taking two wickets each.
It is not so easy to hit a six to Jasprit Bumrah – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra’s wit made headlines during South Africa’s batting innings. He took a dig at Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan while praising Jasprit Bumrah’s accuracy.
Chopra joked that Bumrah hitting a six is so rare that “some people even make a documentary about it,” an apparent reference to Farhan’s film celebrating the Indian fast bowler’s sixes in the Asia Cup.
“It is not so easy to hit Bumrah for a six. If it ever happens, some people make documentaries.” [It’s not so easy to hit Bumrah for a six. If someone manages to do it once, some people even make a documentary on it]“He was heard saying on-air.
The comment came just after Aiden Markram managed to cross the boundary. Chopra didn’t take Farhan by name, but fans immediately caught hold of the reference, especially after Farhan himself shared the documentary clip after Pakistan’s defeat in the Asia Cup final.
Jasprit Bumrah joins the list of top bowlers after demolishing South Africa
Jasprit Bumrah added another big milestone in his career during the first T20I in Cuttack. He became the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in all three international formats.
The right-arm fast bowler joined an elite global group by dismissing South African middle-order batsman Dewald Brewis. Before Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan and Shaheen Afridi had achieved this position.
Bumrah now has 101 T20I wickets in 81 matches. He is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in this format after Arshdeep Singh, who has taken 107 wickets. Bumrah has built his career on the basis of consistency, skill and mastery across all formats.
India has taken a 1-0 lead in the series by defeating South Africa by 101 runs.
After being sent in to bat, India posted a competitive score of 175/6. Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls, while Tilak Verma, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma failed to convert their starts. Lungi Ngidi took three wickets for South Africa and prevented India from scoring any bigger score.
South Africa were bundled out for just 74 runs inside 13 overs as India’s bowlers ran out of lineups. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty and Axar Patel took two wickets each. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey took one wicket each. Only a handful of South African batsmen managed to reach double figures.
The emphatic 101-run win gave India a 1-0 lead in the series. The two sides will meet again in the second T20I on Thursday, December 9 in Mullanpur.
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