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Bumrah Released From Squad, KL Ruled Out Of 4th Test Against England

By LokMarg 20th February 2024

Star speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India’s squad ahead of the fourth Test against England, while KL Rahul has been ruled out of the contest as he continues to regain fitness after suffering an injury.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday released an official statement to announce Bumrah’s absence from the fourth Test due to the number of games he has played in recent times.

“Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad for the 4th IDFC First Bank Test against England in Ranchi. The decision was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times,” BCCI statement read.

With Bumrah sitting out of the match, Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot has joined the squad in Ranchi.

KL Rahul is yet to make an appearance after the first Test. He will miss the third consecutive Test after he complained of right quadriceps pain. Rahul’s chances of appearing in the final Test will depend on his chances of regaining fitness before the clash.

“KL Rahul is ruled out of the 4th Test. His participation in the final Test match in Dharamsala is subject to fitness,” the statement said.

India are currently leading the five-match series by 2-1. The hosts suffered a 28-run defeat in the series opener in Hyderabad.

India bounced back to win the next two games and in the third Test, they clinched their biggest-ever win in terms of runs (434). The fourth Test will be played at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi from February 23.

India’s updated squad for the 4th Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep. (ANI)

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It Hurt Me 100 Times More: Suniel On How He Felt On KL Rahul Trolling

By LokMarg 13th December 2023

Opening up on his equations with his son-in-law, star India batter KL Rahul, actor Suniel Shetty said he shares a very healthy bond with him.

In a free-wheeling conversation with ANI, the actor, when asked if it hurts him when the cricketer, who has led India in both the red-ball and limited-overs formats, faced trolling on social media during his lean phase with the willow, said, “It hurts me more than probably it hurts Rahul.”

Shetty revealed that his son-in-law told him to stop reacting to all the negativity, saying, “He said ‘Dad my bat will talk’. And, it did.”

After battling indifferent form and failing to produce enough big runs with the bat, Rahul, returning from a long spell on the sidelines through injury, came into his own in the World Cup earlier this year.

Taking on his new role of a wicketkeeper-batsman as a duck takes to water, KL let his bat do the talking, emerging as the eighth-highest run-getter in the tournament with 452 runs in 11 matches at an average of 75.33 and a best innings of 102 against the Netherlands. Apart from the ton, he also had two half-centuries against his name in the tournament.

Despite returning from the long injury lay-off, Rahul showed sparkling form behind the wickets, making good collections and coming up with some spectacular catches across the tournament.

“The faith of the people in him, the selectors, the faith of the captain, it said it all. It hurt me 100 times more than it would have hurt Rahul, Athiya or anybody else. As parents, we go through even more than what the kids would go through,” the actor added.

Saying that he is an ardent admirer of Rahul’s batsmanship and one of his biggest cheerleaders, Shetty added, “I have always been a huge fan of his and loved watching him play. I have always loved Rahul for the way he plays. He may be my son but I am still his fan.”

The actor revealed further that he brings his superstitions to the fore whenever India plays, adding that he watched all of India’s World Cup matches in a room with his wife Mana Shetty.

The actor said he watched all of India’s matches sitting on the floor.

Also, weighing in on India’s World Cup campaign, Shetty said, “They were a masterclass in team spirit. For me, today Rohit Sharma is probably where Dhoni stands because everything that he (Rohit) did was selfless. It was for the team. All of them whether it’s Rohit, Shubhman, Surya or Virat coming back after so many years, you can’t ask for a better team. It was just one bad day in 45.”

India stormed into the final after going unbeaten in the league and knockout phases but came horribly unstuck against five-time champions Australia in the title clash.

Cricketer KL Rahul and Athiya exchanged vows on January 23, 2023, at Suniel’s farmhouse in Khandala.

The actor is known for his performances in films like ‘Mohra’, ‘Border’, ‘Dhadkan’, ‘Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, among others.

He will be next seen in the comedy ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ alongside Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, and Raveena Tandon. (ANI)

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Team India Beat Pakistan With Record Margin In Asia Cup Super Four

By LokMarg 11th September 2023

Fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash here at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Kuldeep bagged his second ODI five-for as India clinched a huge 228-run win – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase. With this mammoth victory, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.

Defending a challenging target of 356, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah breathed fire in the 5th over of the game as he removed opener Imam-ul-Haq, giving Pakistan a big blow. All-rounder Hardik Pandya bamboozled Babar Azam with an absolute ripper in the 11th over of the game.

Shardul Thakur bowled a peach to get the better of Mohammad Rizwan. It was bowled around off stump but the ball shaped away from Rizwan, who closed the face of his bat and got an outside edge. KL Rahul comfortably collected the ball behind the stumps. Rizwan departed for two runs off 5 balls, leaving Pakistan in great trouble.

The Indian pacers continue to trouble Pakistan batters with some amazing movement on the ball. Fakhar Zaman was getting restless as the required run rate was going high for Pakistan. He tried to take on Kuldeep Yadav and perished in the process. It was a fuller ball from Kuldeep that rattled the stumps. Fakhar departed after scoring 27 runs off 50 balls.

In the 21st over of the game, Agha Salman got seriously injured as he was hit on his face by the ball on the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

The Pakistan batter Salman walked to play a sweep shot but missed the ball completely which caught him plumb in front of the stumps on the delivery of Kuldeep. Salman took a review but ball tracking suggested that would have clipped the leg stump.

Kuldeep picked his third wicket as Shadab Khan was caught by Shardul Thakur in the deep and left Pakistan tottering at 111/6 after 28 overs.

Kuldeep broke Pakistan’s back as he picked his fourth wicket of the match, removing Iftikhar Ahmed for 23.

The Indian spinner bowled Faheem Ashraf to complete his fifer and the match ended with India winning by a huge margin of 228 runs as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, who went off while fielding with niggles, did not come out to bat.

Earlier, Virat Kohli’s vintage performance and KL Rahul’s unbridled century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.

Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.

Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed a fiery 111 of 106 balls.

Brief score: India 356/2 (Virat Kohli 122*, KL Rahul 111; Shaheen Afridi 1-79) vs Pakistan 128 (Fakhar Zaman 27, Agha Salman 23; Kuldeep Yadav 5-25). (ANI)

‘Just Bowl To Get Him Out’: Users Tweet For KL Rahul

By LokMarg 19th February 2023

India opener KL Rahul’s horrid run in international cricket continues as the batter failed to fire with his willow once again during the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at Delhi on Sunday.

Chasing a low-pressure target of 115 runs, fans anticipated opener KL and Rohit Sharma to chase it down without any hassle given that there are two days still left in the match. But KL was the first wicket to fall. Nathan Lyon trapped him for just one run, leaving India at 6/1 in 1.1 overs.
Following his dismissal, cricket fans took to Twitter to express their frustration with KL’s dismal run of form through one-liners, memes, jokes etc.

A Twitter user named Rahul Sharma posted on Twitter in a mocking tone, “Scored the crucial 1 run which Australia lead by in the 1st innings. Well played, KL Rahul.”

Another tweet from user named Drink Cricket posted a meme describing different ways of dismissing batters like Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Joe Root by pointing out their weaknesses. For KL Rahul, the meme suggested that merely bowling to him would lead to his dismissal.

A user named Kuptaan also tweeted, “If India is 200/1, KL Rahul is out If India is 100/1, KL Rahul is out If India is 50/1, KL Rahul is out If India is 0/1, KL Rahul is out If India is no loss then KL Rahul is not in the playing xi.”

Another Twitter user brought up one of KL’s old tweets playing pool captioned “pretending I know how to play” and tweeted, “KL Rahul had already given us a hint. Only if we knew what he was talking about.”

A Twitter user named Rupen also expressed his frustration with KL’s poor form with a wrestling reference. He posted a video from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)’s 2009 Royal Rumble event, which involves a battle royal requiring wrestlers to eliminate their opponents by throwing them over the top rope. He posted a video of wrestler Santino Marella, who was eliminated by Kane in just one second, which is a record for the shortest time in the Royal Rumble match.

Another Twitter user named Sachya posted a hilarious video describing “KL Rahul’s contribution in team for last 2 years”

Notably, The opener did not have a very good 2022. After missing nearly half a year worth of action, KL blew hot and cold ever since Asia Cup 2022. He did score some half-centuries but drew criticism from fans and some cricketers for his lack of attacking intent and his inability to fire during the most important matches for his team.

KL played four Tests last year in which he scored 137 runs at an average of 17.12, with one fifty. He had the best score of 50 in Tests.

In 10 ODIs last year, he scored 251 runs at an average of 27.88, with two half-centuries and the best score of 73.

In 16 T20Is in 2022, he scored 434 runs at an average of 28.93 and six half-centuries, with a best score of 62.

Overall in 30 matches last year, KL scored 822 runs at an average of 25.68, with nine half-centuries.

This year, KL has scored only 38 runs in his three Test innings. Overall, KL has scored 148 runs in five international matches across six innings at an average of 29.60 with one half-century and the best score of 64*.

Coming to the match, India won the second Test against Australia by six wickets and took a series lead of 2-0. (ANI)

T20 WC: India Eye Summit Clash With Pak, England Aim To Deliver Their Best

By LokMarg 9th November 2022

The stage is set for a high-octane second semifinal clash between India and England at the ICC T20 World Cup in Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

India finished their Group Stage at the top of their group’s table, winning four out of their five Super 12 matches. A defeat to South Africa was the only blip in Men in Blue’s consistent performances during the group stage.
Indian batters have been solid for the most part. Suryakumar Yadav (225 runs in five matches with three fifties), Virat Kohli (246 runs in five matches with three fifties) have carried the line-up.

KL Rahul has gained form, scoring two consecutive fifties in his previous two matches, bringing his run tally to 123 runs in five. Rohit Sharma has largely been inconsistent and only 89 runs have come out of his willow in five matches, with his best being 53 against the Netherlands. These two will have to be at the top of their game to lessen the pressure on the middle order.

All of India’s frontline pacers, Bhuvneswar Kumar (4 wickets), Mohammad Shami (6 wickets), and Arshdeep Singh (10 wickets) have been impressive so far. The spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (six and eight wickets respectively) have delivered well with the ball, though Pandya has not found much success with the bat, other than his knock of 40 against Pakistan.

Axar Patel is Men in Blue’s sole concern in bowling, with his economy rate exceeding nine. It would be interesting if Yuzvendra Chahal gets a chance in the high-stake semifinal.

England has had an up-and-down journey in Super 12. After a win over Afghanistan, their qualification chances dimmed after a loss to Ireland, and the match against Australia was abandoned. But strong showings against New Zealand and Sri Lanka brought them back into the competition and now they’re set to take on India.

England’s deep batting line-up, running down to number 10 is their strength. Their lineup has some power hitters like Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Harry Brook who can whack bowlers from ball one. They can be lethal at Adelaide, where batting-friendly conditions prevail and boundaries are short.

England’s bowling unit has stepped up drastically, despite not being rated high initially. Sam Curran is England’s leading wicket-taker with 10, while Mark Wood has nine. Ben Stokes has also proved to be useful, having picked up five scalps at an economy rate of 5.90 per over.

They do have some concerns though, be it the fitness of left-hander Dawid Malan or pacer Wood or the performance of Chris Woakes, who has been expensive throughout the tournament. Spinners have also been disappointing. Though Adil Rashid has been a miser while bowling, he has taken only one wicket in four matches. (ANI)

Kohli Helps India Beat Pak In A Cracker Of T20 World Cup Match

By LokMarg 23rd October 2022

An explosive half-century by star batter Virat Kohli and a century stand with Hardik Pandya helped India defeat Pakistan by four wickets in their Group 2, Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

With this win, India is at top of Group 2 with two points.

Chasing 160, India got off to a terrible start as opener KL Rahul was sent back to the pavilion by the pacer Naseem Shah for just four of eight balls. The opener disappointed in a crucial match once again, with an inside edge landing straight into the stumps. India was 7/1 at this point.

India received a second jolt when captain Rohit nicked one straight into the slips to Iftikhar Ahmed. The skipper lost his wicket for just 4 off 7 balls to pacer Haris Rauf. India was two down at 10 runs in 3.2 overs.

Eyes were on Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli once again to stitch another partnership. Suryakumar started with a silky straight drive and took three on the very next ball.

Suryakumar was looking really good, but Rauf got the big fish after he nicked one to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. India endured another huge blow as Suryakumar was back in the pavilion for just 15 off 10 balls. India was 26/3 in 5.3 overs.

Axar Patel was the next batter on the crease. At end of the powerplay in six overs, India was 31/3, with Virat (5) and Axar (2) at the crease. Patel also walked back after an unfortunate run-out for just 2. India had sunk to 31/4. Patel’s dismissal though involved Rizwan fumbling the runout and not hitting the stumps with the ball fully, but he got away with it.

Pandya and Kohli took India safe halfway through their innings, though singles continued without any boundaries. India was at 45/4 in 10 overs, with Virat (12) and Pandya (7) at the crease.

India reached the 50-run mark in 10.3 overs. Pandya hit Mohammad Nawaz for a huge six at the start of the 12th over, hitting the first six of the innings. Nawaz was hit for two more sixes, including a straight hit by Virat, giving India a valuable over which gave them 20 runs.

The duo brought up their 50-run stand in 40 balls.

At the end of 15 overs, India touched the 100-run mark. India was at 100/4, with Virat (42) and Hardik (32) at the crease. Thanks to these two, Men in Blue made a solid recovery, getting 55 runs in the last five overs.

Rauf swung some momentum to Pakistan’s side with an economical 16th over, conceding six. India needed 54 off 24 balls. Six runs came from the next over, reducing the equation to 48 off 18 balls.

Virat reached his half-century in 43 balls. The star batter swung the tides in favor of India once again, helping India get 17 more runs. Men in Blue needed 31 off 12 balls.

After Rauf dominated the 19th over, Virat swung things into India’s favor with two sixes in two balls. India needed 16 in the final over.

This pair of beloved players had to strike big in the last over, having scored 113 off 77 balls in their 77 balls. Pandya departed to Nawaz’s first ball, scoring 40 off 37 balls. India needed 16 off 5 balls and the ‘Finisher’ Dinesh Karthik was at the crease with Kohli. However, he was also stumped with two runs left and one ball to go.

Ashwin finished the match with a single, helping India clinch a four-wicket win. India finished at 160/6, with Kohli scoring an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls, with six fours and four sixes, and Ashwin unbeaten at 1.

Rauf (2/36) and Nawaz (2/42) were the picks of the bowlers for Pakistan. Naseem took a wicket too.

Early, fiery and top bowling spells by Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh helped India restrict arch-rivals Pakistan to 159/8 in the high-voltage clash of the Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Sunday.

For India, Arshdeep Singh bagged three wickets Hardik Pandya returned with a stunning figure of 3-30.

Shan Masood top-scored for Pakistan with 52 not out while Iftikhar Ahmed played a crucial knock of 51 runs.

Opted to bowl first, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fiery bowling gave an excellent start to India as he restricted Pakistan batters from scoring runs. In the second over of the innings, Pakistan suffered a huge blow as their star batter Babar Azam was sent packing for a first-ball duck by Arshdeep Singh without scoring a run.

New batter Shan Masood then came out to bat. In the fourth over of the innings, Arshdeep struck again as he dismissed Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan for 4 runs off 12 deliveries, leaving Men in Green tottering at 15-2. Arshdeep Singh the left-arm pacer removed both the Pakistani openers inside the powerplay to provide India with the upper hand in the match.

Iftikhar Ahmed then came out to bat. Iftikhar and Masood both opened their hands and slammed boundaries at regular intervals. After the powerplay, Pakistan’s score read 32-2.

Despite being under pressure the duo of Iftikhar and Masood took their team’s total beyond the 50-run mark in the 9th over of the game. After 10 overs of the game, Pakistan’s score read 60/2.

Iftikhar shifted gears and slammed back-to-back two huge sixes, hammering Axar Patel for 21 runs in the 12th over of the innings. While slamming the Indian bowlers all around the ground Iftikhar brought up his half-century in 32 deliveries.

Mohammed Shami was brought back into the attack and he removed dangerman Iftikhar for 51 off 34. Pakistan’s 76-run stand for the third wicket was finally broken.

Shadab Khan then came to the crease but the batter could not do much as he was sent back to the pavilion by Hardik Pandya after scoring 5 runs off 6 balls in the 14th over. In the same over Pandya struck again as he dismissed the new batter, Haider Ali, for 2 runs, the Pakistani batter was caught out by Suryakumar Yadav.

Mohammad Nawaz welcomed Pandya’s spell with a stunning four, however, his stint was cut short after scoring just 9 runs in 6 deliveries. At this point, Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Arshdeep then delivered a stunning delivery to remove Asif Ali who was caught behind the wicket by Dinesh Karthik.

While hammering Indian bowlers all around the ground Shan Masood brought up his third T20I fifty in 40 balls. In the penultimate over of the innings, Shaheen Afridi slammed one four and one six on the delivery of Arshdeep.

In the last over, Bhuvneshwar sent Afridi packing after scoring 16 runs in 8 deliveries. New batter Haris Rauf then came to bat and he slammed a huge six to guide his team to a competitive total of 159/8 in 20 overs.

Brief score: Pakistan 159/8 (Shan Masood 52, Iftikhar Ahmed 51; Hardik Pandya 3-30) vs India: 160/6 (Virat Kohli 82, Hardik Pandya 40, Haris Rauf 2/36). (ANI)

India Beat South Africa In the 2nd T20I To Clinch Series

By LokMarg 2nd October 2022

David Miller’s explosive ton went in vain as Indian bowlers held their nerve to clinch the T20I series 2-0 after a 16-run victory in the second T20I against South Africa at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Sunday.

With the win, Team India took an unassailable lead of 2-0 over South Africa. For South Africa, Miller slammed an unbeaten 106 in 47 balls, while Quinton de Kock played a knock of not out 69 off 48. For India, Arshdeep Singh bagged two wickets while Axar Patel settled for one wicket.

Defending the target of 238, India’s Arshdeep Singh dented South Africa’s chase by bagging the wickets of Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw in one over.

Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock then played some careful shots while taking singles to ease some pressure from the team. Axar Patel then gave Proteas a big blow as he dismissed well-set batter Markram for 33 off 19 balls. South Africa lost important three wickets in under eight overs.

Markram’s wicket invited David Miller to the crease. Miller with de Kock found quick boundaries while taking singles at regular intervals. After 10 over of the match, South Africa’s score read 70-3.

With huge pressure on their head, Miller shifted gears and slammed Ravichandran Ashwin for back-to-back two sixes and gathered 19 runs alone in the 12th over of the innings.

While smashing Indian bowlers all around the ground, Miller brought up his half-century in 25 balls with a huge six off Arshdeep. De Kock also shifted gears and slammed back-to-back two sixes in Axar’s over and piled up 18 runs.

After 15 overs South Africa needed 95 runs in 30 balls. In the 16th over of the match, Miller slammed Harshal for two successive fours and gathered 13 runs.

Quinton De Kock also brought up his half-century in 39 balls. It was a hard-fought innings by Quinton as he anchored a much-needed great partnership between him and Miller.

De Kock started the 18th over of the match with a stunning six, however, the latter could not do much as Harshal delivered the spell with great line and length and restricted Proteas batters to score runs in his over.

In the 19th over of the innings, the duo of De Kock and Miller hammered Arshdeep for 26 runs by slamming big shots. In the last over of the match, Miller brought up his blistering century in 46 balls. On the last ball of the match, Miller slammed a huge six but failed to guide his team home by 16 runs in the massive run chase.

The explosive Proteas duo failed to take their team home in the massive run chase and handed India a T20I series win.

Earlier put to bat first, India posted a daunting total of 237/3 with the help of stunning half-centuries from Suraykumar Yadav and KL Rahul. Suraykumar slammed 61 runs in 22 balls, while Rahul played a knock of 57 off 28. Virat Kohli looked in red-hot form as he slammed unbeaten 49 runs off 28 balls.

KL Rahul picked up from where he left off in the last game and caressed a superbly timed boundary on the very first ball of the innings off Kagiso Rabada, opening the Indian scoreboard with four runs.

The Indian captain helped himself with two boundaries in the next over bowled by Wayne Parnell as the Indian innings started to gain momentum. Sharma danced down the track to pacer Lungi Ngidi in the next over to smash the first six of the innings.

Parnell came back for his second over of the innings but was taken to the cleaners by the Indian openers as both the batsmen combined to smash six and two boundaries of the over to accumulate 15 runs from the over.

The Indian duo looked in no mood to relax and made full use of the fielding restrictions, hitting boundaries every now and then.

India ended the powerplay with 57 runs without any loss of wicket. Rohit Sharma made 29 (25) while KL Rahul ended with 25(11) from the first six overs.

Both the opening batters continued the onslaught taking apart the South African bowlers and stitched together a 96-run partnership before the Indian captain was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj in the 10th over of the inning.

India was at 96/1 after completing half the quota of overs, with KL Rahul scoring 48 off just 22 deliveries, while Virat Kohli was yet to open his account having faced just one ball.

Rahul brought up his half-century with a handsome six, hitting a clean strike down the ground of Markram in the 11th over. However, the batter was found in front of the stumps the very next over. Maharaj picked up his second wicket of the match and dismissed Rahul for a well-made 57 off 28 balls which included five boundaries and four towering sixes.

The wicket of Rahul brought in the in-form Suryakumar Yadav who needed no invitation to go ballistic right from the word go. Yadav swept his third ball for a four and made his intentions very clear.

Kohli and Yadav made great use of the superb platform set by the Indian openers as the duo kept scoring at a quick rate.

Rabada came onto bowl the 15th over and faced the fury of Suryakumar’s bat as the Indian absolutely decimated the pacer, hitting him for two sixes and two fours, clinching 22 runs off the over.

Suryakumar carried on the mayhem as he smashed two more sixes to bring up his fifty off just 18 balls in the 17th over.

Kohli who had been playing second fiddle until now also joined the party and smashed three boundaries in quick succession.

The crowd was witnessing an absolute mockery of the South African bowling, but it came to a minute halt after Suryakumar was run out at the beginning of the 19th over, ending his blazing knock. Suryakumar smashed 61 off 22 balls with the help of five boundaries and five sixes.

Kohli carried finding boundaries and struck two more to take 10 runs off the 19th over.

Dinesh Karthik took the crease in the final over, a situation that was absolutely tailor-made for the batsman. Karthik bludgeoned two sixes and a four in the final over to snatch 18 runs and take India to a massive score of 237/3.

Kohli missed yet another 50-plus score as he ended with 49 off 28 balls.

Brief Score: India 237/3 (Surayakumar Yadav 61, KL Rahul 57; Keshav Maharaj 2-23) vs South Africa 221/3 (David Miller 106, Quinton de Kock 69; Arshdeep Singh 2-62) (ANI)