Varun Chakaravarthy Matches Kuldeep Yadav's Remarkable Achievement with Five-Wicket Haul against SA in 2nd T20I

Suryakumar Yadav once again showcased his brilliance as he relied on the Tamil Nadu spinner to outsmart the Proteas batters. The spinner, with his precise line and length, capitalized on the challenging pitch conditions to pose problems for the opposition.

He finished the match with outstanding figures of 5/17 in his four-over spell and equalled the record of joint-best figures for an Indian spinner in T20Is. Earlier, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav also claimed 5/17 vs South Africa in Joburg during a T20I match in 2023. Meanwhile, it was the joint second-best figures against South Africa in T20Is behind former Pakistan paceman Umar Gul - 5/6.

In his final over of the spell, Varun turned the tide completely in India's favour with the big wickets of Klaasen (2) and Miller (0) on the first two deliveries.

Earlier, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl in the second T20I of the four-match series.

India decided to stick with the same playing eleven from the series opener, while South Africa made one change, bringing in Reeza Hendricks in place of Patrick Kruger.

Meanwhile, the Indian top-order suffered a collective meltdown against disciplined South African bowlers on a bouncy pitch, managing a way below par 124 for six in the second T20I.

Axar Patel (27) stabilised the innings with key partnerships, adding 30 runs with Tilak Varma (20) and 25 runs with Hardik Pandya. However, South Africa maintained control, picking up wickets at regular intervals.

Top-scorer Pandya (39) provided a late surge with a few big hits, helping India to a more respectable total.

Marco Jansen (1/25), Gerald Coetzee (1/25), Andile Simelane (1/20), Aiden Markram (1/4), and Nqabayomzi Peter (1/20) all contributed with wickets.