India started off the T20I series against South Africa with a commanding 100-run victory in Cuttack. Following the win, they arrived in New Chandigarh for the second T20I with no changes to the XI. Kuldeep Yadav was once again not handed a place in the XI.
As India came down to chasing a mammoth 214-run total and lost Shubman Gill early into the innings, Gautam Gambhir planned out an extraordinary leap in the Indian middle-order as he promoted all-rounder Axar Patel up the order.
"Trying to wrap my head around the move to promote Axar at 3 yesterday. One could understand if India were 25/3 and you wanted to stem the collapse. But at 3 while chasing 214?" said Aakash Chopra.
"It also didn’t align with the left-right strategy. It didn’t play to his strengths to hit spinners either. As a result, while he played 21 balls…Dube walked in with only 13 balls left," he added.
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 12, 2025
Shivam Dube did not get a chance to free his hands
The game needed batters like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to bat deep into the innings and make use of the conditions to chase the mammoth total. However, the left-handed all-rounder struggled to set his eyes on the ball, as he was dismissed on the very second ball.
Hardik Pandya's struggles proved to be the game-turning factor for India
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya made his return to the game after a long break. The Indian all-rounder produced runs at ease in the previous game in Cuttack, when India struggled with the bat. But he failed to produce the same impact in the chase this time around.
They were not only disappointed by their most premier finisher but also lost many deliveries, which could come in handy for players like Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube.
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