Rassie van der Dussen and Miller’s unbeaten 131-run stand became the second-highest fourth-wicket partnership in T20Is (only full member sides). Van der Dussen hit 75 off 46 balls and Miller hit 64 off 31 balls to lead Proteas to a historic run chase.
Rassie van der Dussen and Miller stitch up second-highest fourth-wicket stand in T20Is (Picture Credits - Twitter)
Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller of South Africa made history on Thursday by putting on a match-winning 131-run stand for the fourth wicket in the first T20I against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Rassie van der Dussen and Miller’s unbeaten 131-run stand became the second-highest fourth-wicket partnership in T20Is (only full member sides). Van der Dussen hit 75 off 46 balls and Miller hit 64 off 31 balls to lead Proteas to a historic run chase.
David Warner and Glenn Maxwell hold the record for the highest fourth-wicket partnership in a T20I against the Proteas in Johannesburg in 2016. The pair put on a 161-run stand as Australia chased down a 205-run target by five wickets. Warner hit 77 off 40 balls, while all-rounder Maxwell hit 75 off 43 balls.
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South Africa also completed their most successful run-chase in the shortest format of the game after chasing down a target of 212 runs against India.
The Proteas have now surpassed their successful 206-run chase against the West Indies at the 2007 T20 World Cup in Johannesburg. In 2015 and 2018, they chased down totals of 200 and 189 runs against Team India, respectively.
In the match, South Africa, chasing 212, lost wickets at regular intervals and were 81/3 when Miller and Van der Dussen came in to save the day. While van der Dussen struggled to get going, Miller maintained his hot streak and dominated Indian bowlers.
The two batters eventually put up an unbeaten 131-run partnership for the fourth wicket, bringing up their fifties.
With only four runs to win in the final over, van der Dussen hit Chahal’s first delivery for a boundary and claimed a historic seven-wicket victory with five balls remaining.
Earlier, India posted 211/4 in 20 overs after being put to bat first. Ishan Kishan hit 76 off 48 balls, while Hardik Pandya hit an unbeaten 31 off 12 balls.
South Africa now leads the five-match series 1-0.
(Inputs from IANS)
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