Spurred on by a superb powerplay with the ball on a sluggish wicket at Cape Town, India raced to a seven-run win over the hosts in the final match of the tour and took home the T20I trophy winning the series 2-1.
While the batsmen in the absence of Virat Kohli — save for Suresh Raina — weren’t totally convincing, India roared back with the ball to grab a convincing win although Christiaan Jonker’s antics on debut did create some heart-in-the-mouth moments.
Armed with the license to express himself, Raina had got starts this series but could not quite replicate what he had done for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL few years back. At Cape Town, with India having lost Rohit, Raina blasted a 27-ball 43 studded with five hits to the fence and one over it off the first ball he faced. The manner in which he has snugly fit into the T20I side on return with eye-catching performances like these and his ability to turn the arm when required could prompt the selectors to give him a longer run.
Here’s the video of Suresh Raina’s first ball six off Junior Dala:
#NotSoFriendly Suresh Raina was in a hurry today. Took no time to dispatch the ball into the stands. #SAvsIND pic.twitter.com/ouOwfUEMez
— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) February 24, 2018
