Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma interacted with several budding cricketers who were eagerly waiting for him at the stands closest to the boundary line as India beat South Africa by 8 wickets in the first T20I. India began the T20I series against South Africa with a commendable 8-wicket win on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram.

After restricting the Proteas for a paltry 106/8 in 20 overs, the Men in Blue chased down the target with 20-balls to spare. After pacers Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar ran through the opposition top-order, it was the unbeaten 93-run stand between KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav that handed India a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma Photo Credit: (BCCI)

Rohit Sharma Interacts With Several Budding Cricketers At Stands Close To Boundary

Team India returned to Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium after 3 years and fans were excited to see their favourite stars in action. Life-size cut-outs of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were already installed outside the stadium while on matchday, people gathered in huge numbers to cheer for India.

After India’s victory, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma interacted with several budding cricketers who were eagerly waiting for him at the stands closest to the boundary line. He didn’t disappoint anybody as the Indian skipper made their day with his autograph.

While some of them carried their autograph books while those who didn’t, took Rohit Sharma’s signature on the stadium pass. The heartwarming video was shared on the official Twitter handle of the BCCI.

“Just a little something for the fans here in Thiruvananthapuram, courtesy Captain @ImRo45,” the caption of the video read.

 

Earlier, Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar made the white Kookaburra talk with some incisive swing bowling after Jasprit Bumrah pulling out of the game due to his recurrent back problem which has resurfaced yet again. The duo moved the ball both ways, making full use of the nip in the air and the bounce off the surface.

Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh. (Image Credits: Twitter)
Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar, the Indian pace duo bowled in tandem to reduce South Africa to 9/5 in just 2.3 overs with three batters getting out for a golden duck.

KL Rahul And Suryakumar Yadav’s Unbeaten 50s See India Win By 8 Wickets In The 1st T20I Against Proteas

The pitch that former India head coach Ravi Shastri on air termed “not ideal for T20 cricket” had batters of both teams finding it difficult to cope with both pace and movement.

Suryakumar Yadav- Lindsey Parnaby / AFP
Suryakumar Yadav- Lindsey Parnaby / AFP

A target of 107 on a pitch with underlying moisture and more than waist-high bounce at times was a struggle before Suryakumar Yadav (50 not out in 33 balls) released the pressure created by KL Rahul (51 not out, 56 balls) as India won the game in 16.4 overs to go 1-0 up in three-match series.

Even though contrasting half-centuries from KL Rahul (51*) and Suryakumar Yadav (50*) shepherded the small chase, India’s win was set up by the new-ball assault from Arshdeep Singh (3 for 32) and Deepak Chahar (2 for 24).

India 110 for 2 (Rahul 51*, Suryakumar 50*) beat South Africa 106 for 8 (Maharaj 41, Arshdeep 3-32, Chahar 2-24) by eight wickets