'Younger guys inspired older ones' - Aiden Markram content after second T20I win over India

South Africa produced a spectacular bowling display against India in the second T20I at Gqeberha's St George's Park and restricted them to just 124 after inviting them to bat first. Every bowler other than Keshav Maharaj picked a wicket as the Indian batters struggled to score boundaries. None of the Proteas bowler conceded runs in excess of seven per over. Hardik Pandya was the highest scorer for India with an unbeaten 39 off 45.

Though South Africa experienced trouble in the chase as Varun Chakaravarthy picked five wickets for 17 runs, Tristan Stubbs remained rock solid and got some crucial assistance from Gerald Coetzee (19 off 9) towards the end of the chase. With the help of Stubbs' unbeaten 47 off 41, the hosts won the game by three wickets and one over remaining.

After the game, South Africa skipper, Aiden Markram, called for an intense batting while chasing and also commended the bowlers while appreciating the likes of Stubbs and Coetzee.

Also Read: Steyn predicts bright IPL future for Gerald Coetzee after Gqeberha heroics

“I thought we bowled really well, some really good plans and our bowlers executed really well. From the batting point of view, you want to break the back of the chase at the mid-way stage but it didn't work out today. Sometimes when you lose wickets in a cluster, it doesn't look pretty. We need to take it on the chin, we are definitely going to keep our brand of cricket going,” said Markram after the game.

“They (Stubbs and Coetzee) are coming in after a break, nice to see the fire in their bellies. Really proud of course, the role (Andile) Simelane and (Nqabayomzi) Peter played with the ball was massive. To all the guys on the younger side, they inspired the older guys. We need to take one game at at time. We won this game to level the series and we are happy,” he added. 

With that win, the four match T20I series is poised at 1-1 with two more games to go. The third T20I will be played on November 13 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.