Navi Mumbai: India’s Ishan Kishan (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) In-form Ishan Kishan continued his scorching form with a blistering half-century as India sealed a 30-run win over South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday. The wicketkeeper-batsman raced to 53 from just 20 balls, smashing seven sixes and two boundaries to cement his place in the top order alongside Abhishek Sharma. The Indian batsmen combined for a daunting 241 for five on a flat track, with Ishan and Abhishek putting on an explosive 80-run partnership in the powerplay. Abhishek contributed 24 off 17 balls before retiring, allowing Ishan to continue his onslaught and depart unbeaten after reaching his fifty, ensuring both of them got the last hit before India’s opener against the USA on 7 February.
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India rotated their bowling arsenal and used nine different bowlers, including Abhishek Sharma who took 2/32 in three overs to restrict the Proteas to 210/7. However, Harshit Rana was forced to retire just after one due to discomfort in the run-up. South Africa’s experimental opening pair of George Linde (0) and Aiden Markram (retired 38) failed to make their mark and Linde was dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh. Ryan Rickelton top scored for the visitors with 44 off 21 balls while Jason Smith contributed 35 off 23. Dewald Brevis fell cheaply but Tristan Stubbs fought back with a 21-ball 45 not out, including four sixes. Other notable performances for India included Tilak Varma who made a brisk 45 off 19 balls before being bowled by Marco Jansen and Suryakumar Yadav who made 30 off 16 balls. Vice-captain Axar Patel added 35 off 23 while Hardik Pandya finished with a fiery 30 off just 10 deliveries. Rinku Singh contributed 16 before being hit on the helmet. India’s batting dominance combined with disciplined bowling ensured a comfortable 30-run win in their final pre-tournament warm-up. Short Score: India 240/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 53, Tilak Varma 45; Marco Jansen 1/18) beat South Africa 210/7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 44, Tristan Stubbs 45*; Abhishek Sharma 2/32) by 30 runs.
