The stage was set for an epic finale of the T20I series between India and South Africa at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru but the rain Gods had other plans as the match was interrupted by rain and only 3.3 overs could be bowled. Umpires declared the match abandoned with both the teams sharing the trophy with 2-2 draw in the series.
Update
Play has heen officially called off.
The fifth & final @Paytm #INDvSA T20I has been abandoned due to rain. #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/tQWmfaK3SV
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 19, 2022
Put to bat first by South Africa, India was off to a bad start. Under the first four overs openers, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad were back in the hut after scoring 15 and 10 runs respectively. Proteas bowler Lungi Ngidi gave a big blow to the Men in Blue as he dismissed both the openers under the powerplay.
Notably, in the 4th match of the series, India defeated the Proteas by 82 runs to level the series. Put to bat first, India posted 169/6 in their 20 overs, largely powered by the efforts of Dinesh Karthik (55) and vice-captain Hardik Pandya (46). In reply, SA was bundled out for just 87. Avesh Khan was the star for Men in Blue with the ball, taking 4/18.
Ishan Kishan emerged as the most prolific batter in the series, scoring 206 runs in five innings at an average of 41.20 with 2 half-centuries. His individual best score during the series was 76.
Harshal Patel emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the series, taking seven wickets in five matches at an average of 12.57 and an economy rate of 7.23. His best bowling figures in the series are 4/25.
