India-South Africa match: Fifth T20I called off due to rain, series shared

India-South Africa match: Fifth T20I called off due to rain, series shared

India-South Africa match: Fifth T20I called off due to rain, series shared

Bengaluru : India and South Africa shared honours in the five-match T20I series after the last game here on Sunday was called off due to rain with only 3.3 overs of play possible. India and South Africa were on level terms at 2-2 after four matches.

After being put into bat, a steady downpour delayed the game by 50 minutes. It started raining just when the game was about to start.

The curtailed match did start at 7:50PM but was called off after only 16 minutes of play in which India managed 28 runs for the loss of two wickets.

Lungi Ngidi got both the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad with a couple of slower deliveries.

Kishan hit two sixes off Kehsav Maharaj's opening over but was undone by a loopy slower delivery from Ngidi as he committed to the shot early and played all over it.

Gaikwad also failed to pick up a slower delivery and was holed out at mid-on before the heavens opened up again to stop the series decider.

Meanwhile, India captain Rishabh Pant hailed the fighting spirit of the side after the team came back from two games down to take the five-match series into the decider. The wicketkeeper-batter said there are a lot of positives to take from the series that ended 2-2.

"It might get a little bit frustrating, but there are a lot of positives, especially the way the whole team showed character after the series was 2-0. We are trying to find different ways of winning matches, we are trying to play in a new way.

"Mistakes will happen, but we are going in the right way. I think this is the first time I've lost this many tosses at the same time, but it's not in my control, so I'm not thinking about it too much," Pant said after the fifth and final mach was called off due to rain.

On his personal form, Pant said: "From a personal point of view I would like to contribute more to making my team win. I can only think about giving my 100 per cent  as a player and captain.