Varun Chakaravarthy delivered a crucial early breakthrough for India in the second T20I against South Africa in Mullanpur on Thursday, December 11. The seasoned leg-spinner cleaned up Reeza Hendricks for 8 off 10 balls, giving India their first wicket with the Proteas on 38. It was a moment that shifted the early rhythm of the innings.
The dismissal came in the fourth over when Varun rolled out a perfectly disguised carrom ball on a hard length. Hendricks, expecting room to free his arms, went deep in his crease for the pull. But the ball skidded on sharply, cramped him, and crashed into the stumps. Barring a single six off Jasprit Bumrah, the South African opener had looked uncomfortable throughout his stay.
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Currently the world’s No. 1 T20I bowler, Varun Chakaravarthy continues to enjoy a remarkable run in 2024. After picking up two wickets in the first T20I, he has now extended his tally to 29 wickets in just 18 T20Is this year—numbers that underline his consistency and impact.
#VarunChakaravarthy wastes no time, strikes on the very first ball! Team India right on top. 🔥🇮🇳#INDvSA, 2nd T20I, LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/BI0R1pksPm pic.twitter.com/LNtBWfnKm4
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 11, 2025
For the second T20I, India stuck with an unchanged XI after their commanding 101-run win in the opener. Hardik Pandya’s all-round heroics—59 off 28 and a wicket—were central to that result, marking a strong return to international cricket after his injury layoff. South Africa, however, opted for four changes, bringing in Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, and Ottneil Baartman while resting Tristan Stubbs, Keshav Maharaj, and Anrich Nortje.
At the time of writing, the visitors were cruising at 90/1 after 10 overs, with Quinton de Kock blazing his way to 62 off 31 and skipper Aiden Markram steady on 14 off 19.
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With the series standing at 1-0, South Africa will push hard to level the five-match contest. India, on the other hand, will aim for a 2-0 lead, with attention firmly on captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill after their low scores in Cuttack. India haven’t lost a bilateral T20I series since the 2024 T20 World Cup, while South Africa’s last series win in India dates back to 2015/16.
