India vs South Africa, 1st T20, Highlights, Johannesburg: Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar help IND go 1-0 up

Shikhar Dhawan’s blistering 72 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s five-wicket haul guided India to a 28-run win over South Africa in the first T20 at Johannesburg. Get highlights of India vs South Africa, 1st T20, Johannesburg here.

India beat South Africa by 28 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match T20 series. After being asked to bat, the visitors posted 203/5, courtesy Shikhar Dhawan’s 39-ball 72 and contributions from Rohit Sharma, captain Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey. In reply, South Africa lost three wickets inside the first seven overs before opener Reeza Hendricks and Farhaan Behardien gave the hosts some hope with their 81-run partnership. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s triple-strike in the 18th over ensured a brillant win over India. He finished with the figures of 5/24. Get highlights of India vs South Africa, 1st T20

Virat Kohli (India captain): “The injury was early on. I felt a little bit more stiffness and that is why I went off and get it checked. Very impressive from the boys. Shikhar was outstanding. It was a total team batting performance. With the ball, Bhuvi showing his experience. This was one of our most balanced performances.”

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Man of the Match): “It’s amazing to get five in a T20. I just wanted to bowl in the good areas and it’s a result of that. Seeing how they were bowling and how the wicket was, we planned our bowling and it worked for us. I enjoy bowling in the tough situations (at the start and end of the innings). The knuckle ball (with the seam up) is something I’ve been working on for almost a year.”

JP Duminy (South Africa captain): “Very disappointed. I think in terms of the first six overs with the fall we’re always looking to take some wickets. And they’re going to get boundaries. I was happy in fact. But we couldn’t get any partnerships in. Pretty happy with our plans but we didn’t get the lines right. I thought we could get over the line chasing this target but we didn’t put the partnerships together.”

21:27 hrs IST: That’s it. India defeat South Africa by 28 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. What a day it has been for Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar! The visitors will look to seal the deal at Centurion.

21:20 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the first India bowler to take a five-wicket haul across formats.

21:16 hrs IST: Three wickets in three balls, with the last one being a run-out. One over and the match has turned in India’s favour. All but over for South Africa. They are 159/8 after 18 overs, need 45 off 12.

21:12 hrs IST: WICKET! This is turning out to be an exceptional day for Bhuvi. Four wickets for just 23 runs. No other bowler hasn’t been that effective as compared to him.

21:10 hrs IST: OUT! And as they say, experience matters. Bhuvi strikes. Leading edge from Hendricks and Dhoni does the rest. Very tough for South Africa from here on.

21:07 hrs IST: SIX! Length ball from Pandya, Klaasen makes room and smacks it over long-on for a maximum. South Africa are 154/4 after 17 overs, need 50 off 18.

21:04 hrs IST: Virat Kohli has a slight left hip problem. He is being monitored by the physio. Nothing serious.

21:03 hrs IST: Boundary off the last ball for Hendricks. Moves to 68. South Africa are 139/4 after 16 overs, need 64 off 24.

21:01 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched from Bumrah and Hendricks lifts it over the mid-off region for a boundary. South Africa need more of these.

20:58 hrs IST: OUT! Chahal gives a lot more flight, Behardien looks to clear the long-on boundary but doesn’t get the timing and Pandey completes a neat catch. South Africa are 129/4 after 16 overs, need 75 off 30.

20:55 hrs IST: Excellent stuff from Bumrah, only three runs off the next five balls. South Africa are 121/3 after 14 overs, need 83 off 36.

20:52 hrs IST: SIX! Slightly overpitched from Bumrah, straying down leg, and Behardien slays it over square leg for a maximum.

20:50 hrs IST: Two runs and that’s fifty for Hendricks, his maiden in T20 Internationals. Needs to keep going. South Africa are 112/3 after 13 overs, need 92 off 42.

20:47 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Unadkat and Behardien plays the cut past the point fielder. This partnership is turning out to be dangerous for the visitors.

20:46 hrs IST: Unadkat comes back into the attack. Can he strike?

20:44 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Chahal, Hendricks gets down on one knee and hits it through mid-wicket. South Africa are 103/3 after 12 overs, need 101 off 48.

20:41 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Pandya and Hendricks hits it to deep square leg boundary. South Africa are 89/3 after 11 overs, need 115 off 54. Chahal to continue.

20:37 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Hendricks. He moves into 30s. South Africa are 79/3 after 10 overs, need 125 off 60.

20:35 hrs IST: SIX! Tossed up from Chahal, Behardien comes down the track and hammers it over long-off for a maximum.

20:33 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller delivery from Pandya, down leg, and Behardien works it to long leg for his first boundary. South Africa are 68/3 after 9 overs, need 136 off 66.

20:29 hrs IST: Six singles. Not a bad thing for India but certainly, it’s terrible for South Africa. They need maximums here. They are 61/3 after 8 overs, need 143 off 72.

20:25 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Pandya and Hendricks hits it over backward point for his second boundary. South Africa are 55/3 after 7 overs, need 149 off 78. Chahal comes into the attack.

20:21 hrs IST: WICKET! And Pandya joins the party. Miller goes cheaply. Not much of experience left. Hendricks should look to stay till the end.

20:18 hrs IST: Magnificent over from Bumrah, only three runs off it. South Africa are 41/2 after 6 overs. Just 11 runs have been scored off the last three overs.

20:14 hrs IST: WICKET! Bhuvi strikes again. Slower delivery does the trick as Duminy departs. The hosts need a big partnership here. They are 38/2 after 5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah comes into the attack.

20:11 hrs IST: A refreshed Australia captain Steve Smith is looking forward to the challenge of taking on South Africa’s fast bowlers in a four-Test series starting in Durban on March 1.

His sentiment may not be shared by the tail-enders of both teams, though.

When Australia beat England 4-0 in their recent home Ashes series, the tourists lower order was blown away by aggressive short-pitched bowling from pace trio Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.

Smith said he expected his bowlers to “go down a similar path” in South Africa, even though the hosts have the firepower to hit back through Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel and new find Lungi Ngidi. Read full story here

20:08 hrs IST: Tidy over from Unadkat, just five runs off it. South Africa are 35/1 after 4 overs. Hendricks 10*, Duminy 2*

20:04 hrs IST: OUT! Bhuvi strikes, gets rid of Smuts. India desperately needed a wicket and they’ve got it. Duminy comes to the crease. South Africa are 30/1 after 3 overs. Unadkat to continue.

20:01 hrs IST: SIX! Knuckle ball from Bhuvi, Hendricks leans forward and clobbers it over wide long-off for a maximum. Dream start for the hosts.

19:59 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Smuts. While the first one was straight over the bowler’s head, the right-handed batsman smacked the second in the gap between mid-off and covers. South Africa are 20/2 after 2 overs.

19:56 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Unadkat, outside off, and Hendricks punches it through covers for his first boundary.

19:54 hrs IST: Good over from Bhuvi despite the boundary. South Africa are 6/0 after the first over. Unadkat comes into the attack.

19:51 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Bhuvi and Smuts slashes it past the point region for his first boundary of the day.

19:50 hrs IST: Time for South Africa’s innings. Smuts to take strike. Bhuvi to start the proceedings.

19:37 hrs IST: That’s it. India finish on 203/5. 46 runs scored in the last five overs. Very competitive total. South Africa would look 1-2 big partnerships. We’ll be back in a few minutes time.

19:33 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Pandey. India are 194/5 after 19 overs. Pandey 25*, Pandya 9*. Paterson to bowl the final six balls.

19:31 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries from Pandya. Every ball matters from here. Can India get to 220?

19:28 hrs IST: OUT! Morris strikes, removes Dhoni. He walked across the stumps and missed a full-toss. Hardik Pandya comes to the crease.

19:26 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched from Paterson, Dhoni dances down the track and hits it straight down the ground. Eight runs off the over. India are 183/4 after 18 overs. Morris to bowl the penultimate over.

19:21 hrs IST: FOUR! Dhoni ends the 17th over with a well-hit boundary through the off-side. With 3 overs to go, India are 175/4.

19:16 hrs IST: Four overs to go. India are 164/4, need at least 50-60 more.

19:11 hrs IST: OUT! And that’s the end of a stupendous innings from Dhawan. He falls for 72 off just 39 balls. Phehlukwayo gets his first wicket. MS Dhoni comes to the crease.

19:09 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Phehlukwayo, Dhawan makes room and hits it past the backward point fielder for a boundary.

19:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Ninth boundary for Dhawan. And it continues to get tough for South Africa. India are 149/3 after 14 overs. Dhawan 68*, Pandey 13*

19:05 hrs IST: FOUR! Length delivery from Dala, Dhawan gets down on one knee and slogs it towards wide long-on boundary. Can he score a hundred?

19:03 hrs IST: Junior Dala to bowl the last over. He has taken two wickets so far.

19:02 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Pandey. Moves into double figures. India are 138/3 after 13 overs.

19:00 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Phehlukwayo, Dhawan comes down the track and chips it in the air over mid-wicket. Moves to 56.

18:57 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Shamsi. Twelve runs off the over. India are 128/3. Dhawan 52*, Pandey 10*. Andile Phehlukwayo comes into the attack.

18:55 hrs IST: FOUR! And that’s fifty for Dhawan, fourth in T20s. What a knock! Need to hang in till the end. India well on course to score 200.

18:53 hrs IST: SIX! Flighted delivery from Shamsi, Pandey leans forward and smashes it over long-off for a maximum. And the fireworks begin, again.

18:52 hrs IST: Back-to-back tight overs. India need a big ones here. They are 116/3 after 11 overs.

18:49 hrs IST: Tidy over for South Africa, only four runs and a wicket. South Africa are 110/3 after 10 overs.

18:47 hrs IST: OUT! Kohli goes for 26. Plumb. Shamsi gets his first. Manish Pandey comes to the crease. Can he get a big score?

18:44 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Kohli, he moves to 25. India are 106/2 after 9 overs. Shamsi to continue.

18:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Touch short from Smuts, Dhawan rocks back and smacks it too deep mid-wicket boundary. Moves into 40s.

18:39 hrs IST: SIX! Flighted delivery from Shamsi and Kohli sweetly times it over long-off. As good as it gets! India are 98/2 after 8 overs.

18:37 hrs IST: FOUR! Behardien drops Kohli at long-on and the India captain makes full use of it with a boundary off the next ball. Adding insult to injury!

18:36 hrs IST: Tabraiz Shamsi comes into the attack - Can he strike?

18:34 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Morris and Dhawan slashes it past point. Good over from South Africa’s perspective. Only six runs off it. India are 84/2 after 7 overs.

18:30 hrs IST: FOUR! This is sheer carnage from the visitors. At this rate, they can score well over 200. India are 78/2 after 6 overs. Morris to continue.

18:28 hrs IST: SIX! Shortish delivery from Dala and it’s enough for Dhawan to pull it over fine leg for his second maximum.

18:26 hrs IST: FOUR! Half-volley from Dala and Kohli creams it through covers for his first boundary.

18:25 hrs IST: FOUR! Short delivery from Morris, Dhawan looks to pull but gets a top edge and it flies to fine leg boundary. Dhawan finishes the over with another boundary. India are 60/2 after 5 overs.

18:21 hrs IST: OUT! Big wicket for South Africa, Raina departs. Dala gets his second wicket in as many overs. Kohli comes to the crease. India are 49/2 after 4 overs. Chris Morris comes into the attack.

18:19 hrs IST: SIX! Another full delivery from Dala, Raina makes room, uses the pace of the ball and hits it over backward point. Good improvisation!

18:16 hrs IST: SIX! Fuller delivery from Dala and Dhawan flicks it away over mid-wicket. Fourth maximum of India’s innings.

18:14 hrs IST: SIX! Short delivery from Paterson, Raina moves to the wide of the crease and deposits it over mid-wicket for a maximum. India are 37/1 after 3 overs.

18:11 hrs IST: Good move by the management to send Raina ahead of Kohli. Ideal platform for the left-handed batsman to make a mark. India are 24/1 after 2 overs.

18:09 hrs IST: WICKET! Dala strikes, gets rid of the dangerman Rohit. Just the scalp South Africa wanted. But what a start Rohit has given to India. 21 off just 9 balls. Suresh Raina comes to the crease.

18:06 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Dala and Rohit hits it through point for his second boundary. Asking to be hit!

18:05 hrs IST: FOUR! Another short and wide ball and Rohit just helps it over backward point for a boundary. Magnificent start from India. They are 18/0 after the first over. Junior Dala comes into the attack.

18:03 hrs IST: SIX! Short delivery from Paterson, Rohit gets into position early and pulls it over fine leg for his second maximum.

18:02 hrs IST: SIX! Short and wide from Paterson and Rohit slashes it over the third-man region for a maximum. Typical Rohit!

18:01 hrs IST: Dane Paterson starts off with a good length delivery. The India vice-captain chooses to defend it.

18:00 hrs IST: Time for live action. India openers Dhawan and Rohit make their way out in the middle, and so do the hosts. Overcast conditions, expect the ball to move around a bit.

17:56 hrs IST: The players line up for the national anthems.

17:43 hrs IST: BREAKING NEWS - AB de Villiers has been ruled out of the entire series.

Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee said: “ABD will not be able to take part in the T20 International series against India due to a left knee injury. He suffered a blow to the knee while batting ahead of the fifth ODI, and although he passed a fitness test on Friday, the injury worsened significantly throughout the match.

“The Cricket South Africa medical team has advised he is given a period of rest and rehabilitation to make a full recovery ahead of the four-match series against Australia starting next month. The selectors will not name a replacement.”

17:39 hrs IST: So AB de Villiers misses out due to a knee injury. Klaasen, Junior Dala are making their debuts. For India, Raina is back. Unadkat also comes in.

17:36 hrs IST: Here are the playing XI of both teams -

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa: JJ Smuts, Reeza Hendricks, Jean-Paul Duminy(c), AB de Villiers, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Paterson, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi

17:32 hrs IST: South Africa have won the toss and have opted to field.

17:29 hrs IST: “Looks like a good surface, and the ball will come nicely onto the bat. The skipper’s decision at the toss will entirely depend on the team’s strategy. There won’t be any lateral movement off the deck and it is a belter of a track to bat on” - Shaun Pollock

17:22 hrs IST: Kohli now needs just 156 runs to complete 1000 runs in tour. With three more matches to go, it looks very much gettable.

17:17 hrs IST: Riding on some poor fielding from India women and their own powerful hits over the boundary, South Africa coasted to a five-wicket win in the third T20 here at the Wanderers to keep the five-match series alive.

The Protea ladies first restricted the visitors to 133 on the back of a five-wicket haul from Player-of-the-Match medium-pacer Shabnim Ismail and then clobbered the India bowlers to overhaul the target in exactly 19 overs. Read full report here

17:08 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Colin Munro starred once again as New Zealand booked their place in the trans-Tasman Twenty20 tri-series final, despite a two-run defeat to England in Sunday’s last group match.

After England had posted 194-7, thanks chiefly to an unbeaten 80 from fit-again skipper Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan’s 53, the Black Caps required 175 to finish ahead of their opponents on net run-rate and guarantee a place in the final.

Munro significantly enhanced the chances of that target being reached by clubbing 57 from just 21 deliveries on another small ground. Read full report here

16:56 hrs IST: In the end, the ODI series wasn’t about India vs South Africa. It was about Virat Kohli vs South Africa, with the India skipper seemingly having a point to prove.

Without him, his 558 runs, his intensity, his confidence in attacking with his spinners and his desire to win that stemmed from the hurt suffered during the Test series, this series might have yielded zilch for India.

16:50 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - Virat Kohli is 44 runs away from becoming only the third batsman ever to reach 2000 in T20 Internationals.

16:41 hrs IST: Good evening and welcome to HT’s live coverage of the first of three T20s between South Africa and India. The match will be held at Johannesburg while the final two will take place at Centurion and Cape Town.

Alongside Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya will look to make the most of their ability in the shortest format.

Suresh Raina, who has made a comeback to the team after a year’s time, will look to get big scores.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will look to continue their good form in the shortest format.

On the other hand, South Africa – led by JP Duminy – will look to get back to winning ways.

The likes of AB de Villiers, David Miller and Chris Morris all possess the ability to score at a fast rate.

The bowling department, led by Andile Phehlukwayo, Morris along with chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi, will have to come out with something special in order to get rid of the flamboyant Indian batsmen.