India kicked off the five-match T20I series of South Africa’s Tour Of India 2025 with a win but fell in the second match, as South Africa bounced back strongly with a win and levelled the series 1-1. Speaking
on JioHotstar, JioStar experts Irfan Pathan and Sanjay Bangar dissected India's top-order troubles and South Africa's effective new-ball strategy. Irfan Pathan credited South Africa's performance while noting India's form concerns:
“At the toss, we said it would not be bad for South Africa to bat first. Because they were chasing in the first match and here in New Chandigarh, they batted first which meant you do not have the scoreboard pressure and you can bat freely. Quinton de Kock did a great job. But looking at this match, who should be credited? We have two points. One is the form of Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill which is a real cause of concern for India. Then there is South Africa’s bowling, it was a very good bowling performance. And Quinton de Kock is back in form, which is big news for South Africa.”
On the struggles of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill:
"Shubman Gill will say he got a very good ball and looked stuck at the crease. For captain Suryakumar Yadav, I felt he needs to focus on his offside play. He was completely out of position when he got out. About Gill’s dismissal, the ball from Lungi Ngidi was top quality. The angle he bowled from was excellent. But if Gill was in form, he would have played that ball easily. He is not in form. Ngidi has bowled only three overs to him so far in the powerplay in this series and got him out twice, giving just four runs. He is putting a lot of pressure on Gill with the new ball. The runs not coming from Gill’s bat is a bad sign and increases the pressure on him and the team management. They will be asking what to do. This situation should not get worse. If the runs still don’t come, you can’t just bring Sanju Samson back and expect him to perform, if he is also rusty. There are many questions. If they go back to Samson, it becomes very important for him to score runs."
On the pressure on Suryakumar Yadav:
"Surya will be under pressure because he's the captain and as a captain, your slot in the playing 11 is secured automatically. As a player, if you haven't scored runs in a year, you are under pressure. His form has to come back before the World Cup. He needs the right batting position and better shot selection. Surya has shown a pattern of playing straight balls to the leg side and getting out. When you're not scoring, you should try to play in the off-side and in front. He has the skill to bring the ball in front of his eyes and use the pace, that's how he will start scoring again."
Sanjay Bangar reviewed the factors behind India's defeat in the second T20I:
"From India's point of view, they needed a big contribution from their top three batters. Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav's performance is always important when chasing a big total, because they have the chance to play the most balls. But the top three did not click, and South Africa played very well. They used the new ball well. Sending Axar Patel to bat at number three took him a lot of balls to find his rhythm, and it was not an ideal position for him. After that, Ottniel Baartman bowled very straight, with a 'you miss, I hit' style. We saw it in the ODIs too, and he got success again. George Linde came into the middle overs and contained the runs with tight bowling. South Africa will be very happy with how they played. They outplayed India in all three departments."
On Tilak Varma's batting:
"He plays proper cricketing shots and doesn't fight the pace. In international cricket, he doesn't just try to hit the 135-140 speed balls to mid-wicket. He plays well in the square leg area and behind, whether with a cut shot or a reverse sweep. That is his strength. His thinking and clarity are amazing, especially in T20s. He also doesn't let the run rate drop even after a wicket falls. That is his tempo. Overall, he is the best player in a crunch situation. He gives you the confidence to either reach a good score or complete a chase."
