New Delhi: MS Dhoni-led India registered their first win against South Africa in the ongoing tour when they defeated the AB de Villiers-led side by 22 runs in the 2nd ODI.
As India now level the series 1-1, here are three performances by Indian players which proved to be decisive:
MS Dhoni's 92-run knock: The critics said he isn't he player he once used to be. But the skipper, who has proved himself on numerous occasions in the past, once again played a stupendous knock where he single-handedly took India to a respectable total of 247. At one stage, India were reeling at 124/6, from where on Dhoni added crucial runs with the tail, much to the frustration of the Proteas.
Axar Patel's 3-wicket haul: After leaking plenty of runs in the first T20, Axar was given another opportunity when he replaced Amit Mishra at Indore. The left-hander lived upto the faith of his skipper as he scalped crucial wickets of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy. He conceded 39 runs from 10 overs, a spell which his team-mates will remember for a long time.
Virat Kohli's catching: After being run-out for yet another time in the series, Kohli made his presence felt in the outfield with some superb catches. Kohli took a blinder at short cover to dismiss AB de Villiers which was the turning point of the match. The flamboyant right-hander aslo timed his jump to perfection to dismiss Faf du Plessis (51), who was taking the game away from India. Kohli took his third catch of the match, another good one, when Steyn tried to hit Umesh Yadav over covers but couldn't clear Kohli who grabbed it while running to his right.
