A change in conditions after a spell of rain in Gqeberha led to India’s defeat to South Africa in the second T20I on Tuesday, according to Tilak Varma. India was asked to bat first and lost both openers for ducks, but later recovered to score 180 for 7 after quick fifties from Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav. The rain resulted in a premature end to India’s innings, and the bowlers struggled to grip the ball in soggy conditions when play resumed. South Africa chased a revised target of 152 in 15 overs and eventually won the game with seven balls to spare.
“I feel in the powerplay, we gave a bit [of] extra runs, but after that we came back strongly,” Tilak said, also crediting South Africa’s spinners for keeping India in check. Tuesday’s fixture was Tilak’s 14th T20I this year, and he has been preparing for different conditions, drawing confidence from the exposure.
The third and final T20I at the Wanderers on Thursday is expected to present different conditions, with the ball tending to fly off the bat in Johannesburg.
