Gautam Gambhir works in the overs with Tilak Varma in the nets
Despite the weather gods playing their part, no overs were lost as South Africa opened the chase for 123 in their typical aggressive style.Aiden Markram (28) and Quinton de Kock (14) provided the first impetus.Dhruv Parashar dismissed the dangerous Ryan Rickelton (30). Dewald Brevis (36) soon followed. But it was too late. Tristan Stubbs (7) and Jason Smith (2) finished the job and took the Proteas over the line as the floodlights stayed on during the morning’s game.On the eve of the match, the sun was shining beautifully and the weather was as pleasant as a typical February afternoon in Delhi.But almost 24 hours later, conditions changed drastically, with rain, constant gusts blowing across the stadium and enough moisture in the air to make the walkers lick their lips.At the toss, captain Aiden Markram opted to bowl first after assessing the conditions.“Obviously it’s raining a bit around. There was some moisture this morning and we might be able to find something in the gate ahead,” he said.But the start betrayed that sense of early relief for the pacers as UAE openers Muhammad Waseem (22) and Aryansh Sharma (13) took on the Proteas pace trio of Kagiso Rabada (0/30), Kwena Maphaka (0/30) and Anrich Nortje (2/28) with some serious determination.They amassed 36 runs in the first four overs without losing a wicket. But George Linde (1/17) and Corbin Bosch (3/12) halted their progress, sending both openers back in successive overs.Alishan Sharafu, one of the most reliable batsmen in the UAE line-up, once again rose to the occasion and kept the score going, while Sohaib Khan (6) and Syed Haider (6) had a sub-par day at the office.A few more could have followed had South Africa been sharper in the field.Sharafu missed out on his second half-century of the tournament when he fell for 45 with Nortje.Despite being wicketless in the first four overs, the Protea pacers had the last laugh, taking all six wickets.However, heading into the Super Eight, Rabada’s wicket drought and fielding standards could be problems for the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up.