The South African cricket team especially the bowlers performed superbly in the second T20I against team India and played an important role in leveling the series by helping their team win the match by 3 wickets.
Though Hardik Pandya (39*) was the highest scorer for India, he also faced backlash online after a stump mic caught his comment to Arshdeep Singh during their partnership in the match which was played at St George’s Park, Gqeberha. As Hardik Pandya aimed to make the most of the final 10 balls to push India’s total, he was only able to add six runs, punctuated by seven dot balls.
South Africa’s precise bowling efforts restricted the T20 World Champions to a modest total. The Indian top-order batting line-up collapsed and the middle-order batsmen, including Hardik Pandya, struggled to find momentum on a challenging pitch. Hardik’s sluggish knock of 39 runs off 45 balls which included just two fours and a six highlighted India’s difficulties.
The viral moment unfolded when Hardik showed visible frustration after Arshdeep Singh failed to rotate the strike at the start of the penultimate over. When Arshdeep finally managed a single, Hardik’s “Enjoy from the other end now” comment was captured by the stump mic, leading to a flood of social media reactions as he was unable to capitalise during the last ten balls of the innings.
Here are some selected reactions:
https://x.com/137off120_/status/1855637566600425579
https://x.com/Im_Suji/status/1855637798235062472
https://x.com/ICCAsiaCricket/status/1855639080958337504
https://x.com/Bestmodefit/status/1855651438657192218
https://x.com/aalooponga/status/1855636934963446167
https://x.com/Im__Arfan/status/1855636967322443944
The South African bowlers Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen effectively stifled Hardik Pandya, restricting India to a total of 124/6.
Chasing a moderate target, South Africa displayed composure. Tristan Stubbs’ unbeaten 47 off 41 balls and a rapid 19 off nine balls from Gerald Coetzee sealed a three-wicket victory. Despite Varun Chakravarthy’s impressive five-wicket haul (5/17 in four overs), South Africa reached 128/7 in 19 overs, leveling the series by 1-1.
Hard luck Hardik Pandya!
