India National Cricket Team star all-rounder Axar Patel pulled off an absolutely stupendous catch in the third T20I of the four-match series against South Africa National Cricket Team on Thursday, November 14.
Axar Patel took a screamer near the boundary ropes to end the innings of the explosive Proteas batsman David Miller at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Also Read: Watch: Hardik Pandya floors David Miller and leaves him in pain with a brutal blow on the box
Axar Patel stuns everyone with a blinder
Axar Patel wasn’t at his very best early on in the innings as he dropped an absolute dolly. However, the all-rounder made sure to redeem himself with a blinder during the latter half of the innings.
On the fifth ball of the 16th over, all-rounder Hardik Pandya bowled a short delivery to David Miller who absolutely nailed a flat pull shot.
It looked like the ball would go past the boundary line, but out of nowhere Axar Patel timed a perfect jump and grabbed the ball with both hands while being in the air to end the innings of the explosive batsman. David Miller had to walk back to the hut after scoring 18 runs off 18 balls.
Watch: Axar Patel takes a stunner to send back David Miller
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) November 13, 2024
The catch was a game-changing one as despite the fireworks from Marco Jansen in the death overs, the Proteas couldn’t cross the finish line and lost the match by 11 runs.
India took a 2-1 lead in the T20I series and the fourth and final T20I between the teams will be held on Friday, November 15, at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
South Africa had won the second T20I after a good fight
South Africa clinched victory in the second T20I against India by three wickets with an over to spare. Chasing a modest target of 125, they faced their own share of challenges as India’s bowlers kept things tight, with Varun Chakravarthy leading from the front with his extraordinary 5-wicket haul for just 17 runs.
Ryan Rickelton’s early knock of 13 off 11 got them off the mark but he couldn’t continue, falling to Arshdeep Singh in the third over. Reeza Hendricks offered stability with his 24 off 21, including three boundaries and a six, but he, too, was undone by Chakravarthy
Captain Aiden Markram (3 off 8) and Marco Jansen (7 off 10) both failed to find their footing against the spinner, while Heinrich Klaasen (2 off 3) and David Miller (0 off 1) also fell prey to Varun, leaving South Africa struggling at 66/6.
However, the most crucial innings of the match came from the bat of Tristan Stubbs, who scored 47 not out off 41 balls, featuring seven fours. His steady hand allowed the Proteas to inch closer to the target and Gerald Coetzee supported him with a quickfire cameo of 19 off 9 balls. Together, they managed to complete the run-chase, reaching 128/7 in 19 overs and securing a hard-fought win.
Leave feedback about this