India vs South Africa, 5th T20I at Bengaluru, IND v SA, Jun 19 2022 - Ball by Ball Commentary

10.09pm Maharaj and Pant pose with the series trophy, big smiles on their faces. Both their teams played excellently through this series - a pity we couldn't get a full game today to determine a winner. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, it's goodbye and good night from me, Ashish and Chandan.

Rishabh Pant, India's captain: "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. From a team point of view it's now about winning the last Test match in England, and from a personal point of view I would like to contribute more to making my team win."

Keshav Maharaj, the South Africa captain: "Very disappointed that we couldn't get a full game. It would have been an exciting end to an exciting tour, but we can't control the weather. I think if you saw the way we played the first few games, we tried a few combinations. We're a work in progress, and we're trying different combinations to see how we shape up ahead of the World Cup. It's a strong Indian outfit we came up against, so we didn't want to take anything for granted."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the Player of the Series. "When you get Man of the Series, it's always a proud moment, and as a bowler in T20, it's even better. I'm always focused on getting back stronger, whether it's my bowling or my fitness. I'm playing for years now, my role has always been the same. Bowl two in the powerplay, bowl two at the end. These things are always the same, but as a senior I always think about helping the youngsters. I've been lucky that the captain has given me the full hand and said do what you want. In that regard I've been blessed."

9.37pm Okay, handshakes are being exchanged in the dressing-room area, with the umpires also present, and it looks like the spectators are beginning to leave the stadium. I think we can safely say this match has been called off. This was always going to be a possibility when the BCCI decided to schedule a night game in Bengaluru in June. A terrific, closely-fought series ends without the decider it needed.

Karteek Chalago: "Unfortunately Rain has taken the MVP of the day...But who is Player of the tournament?I go with DK.." -- Kishan might be a strong contender too.

JP: "i think missing link for SA this series is Markram, they did not have anyone to anchor the innings at no 3 and once he is back .. it will be one of the strongest teams.. we all know how good he is.. all other player should be same ..also markram can give you few overs of spin ...for seamers just switch between nortje/parnell/marco for the 4th bowling option."

Mustafa Moudi : "Cricinfo starting a Pant Vs Karthik Debate in a match where Pant and Karthik are commentating... What a Coincidence!!" -- Weirdly, I'm fully on the Pant camp and Ashish is on the Karthik camp.

Himanshu: "Mark my words South Africa are very strong contenders for the cup. Bowlers win you tournaments and they have a bowling attack of top quality. Imagine Nortje and Rabada hitting hard lengths with that pace on Australian pitches. Also if Miller manages to stay in the current form, he can be really lethal. Only issue that they might need to sort is slight lack of batting depth."

9.35pm It's still drizzling, folks. On the subject of South Africa and rain, let's go back to the time they were famously robbed by rain (and a bizarre rain rule) in a World Cup semi-final. Except, let's consider the alternate view. In this piece from a couple of years ago, Sidharth Monga argues that South Africa were really not all that unlucky.

Niranjan: "I don't want an 5 overs match to spoil this excellent series, Let it be 2-2.."

Ballu : "SA needs to have a more set bowling lineup. Right now the Rabada and Ngidi pair should do well in the PP, but they need another bowler like Pretorius to handle death over business."

Barath: "South Africa are struggling to get a solid opening start. Quinton and Dewald Brewis can open the innings for South Africa."

Joydeepsinghgil: "South Africa only should switch the Bavuma position all other things is fine for them he couldn't take the benefit of powerplay and second obliged his partner to give away the wicket."

9.24pm Thanks, Ashish. No change at the Chinnaswamy yet. It's still drizzling, and the crowd is still waiting patiently. Less than 40 minutes remain until the cut-off time, which is 10.02pm.

"We have to wait for it to start. We can't start play with a drizzle," the umpires say in an interview with the broadcasters. They also say it'll take 25-30 minutes after the rain stops (whenever that is) for play to start.

We've had a lot of discussion here about India's T20I combination. Let's now have your thoughts on South Africa: where they stand right now vis-a-vis where they want to be by the time the T20 World Cup comes round.

9:15pm While it might be raining here, there is still international cricket to follow. Sri Lanka are going really well in the third ODI against Australia, as they look all set to chase down the 292-run target with Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka striking half-centuries. And, in Amsterdam, England have started their 236-run chase in the second ODI quite nicely.

As I look to get myself a cup of coffee, here's Karthik Krishnaswamy to take you through the next hour or so.

9:00pm Unfortunately, no good news from my end. The rain is still steady, the covers are firmly in place and the crowd, well has gone a bit mellow. The latest from Hemant is that play has to resume by 10:02pm local time for a five-over match. That is about 70-odd minutes from now.

Anyway, why not we continue our debate on the team selection. And how about some bowlers? How should the Indian bowling line-up look like?

Augustin Prasan: "Bumrah, Shami still the best opening partners. May be rotate Siraj, Harshal, Avesh as third seamer.. Chahal, Ashwin as the 2 spinners. And Hardik as the 6th option "

8:40pm The drizzle is still quite steady. We are likely to lose more overs now. Having said that, and I mentioned about the excellent drainage system at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Here's a bit more about the subsurface aeration system.

daryll: "No doubt Kohli is a cricketing legend, but him opening the innings in T20 seems like one risk too many for me, we saw what happened to India last world cup and we do not need a repeat. Let Kohli concentrate on his better formats: test and odis and let some of the younger talents such as Ishan take centre stage!"

Rahul RAGHUVANS: "I think Mohshin Khan Needed to be Partner With Bhuvi Or Deepak Chahar (If he Will Get fit)" Mohsin will get his chances, but will be hard to fit him in the current setup.

8:22pm: The rain continues to fall. A steady drizzle is what it is, tells Hemant. As we wait for more updates, let's get back to the Indian team selection debate.

ManiMohan: "More than intent, i think we need someone to open who can handle the pace and bounce well, ishan showed enough intent this series already." And in Australia, you can expect pace and bounce, at least early on. How about Virat Kohli to open the innings?

Sumit: "I will pick Shubman Gill as first choice of opener. Aggressive intent with proper cricketing shots and ability to play bigger innings." Let's hear some more names.

PK: "Really hope someone like Tripathi gets chances to open in Ireland ahead of Gaikwad after his poor series here...even Samson could be tried in opener role." really want Tripathi to do well.

laurie: "I agree with @darshak but think Samson might be the better option as he showed with RR he can really start whacking from ball one!"

Here's one to start off. Darshak : "About Indian team selection, India need either prithvi show or someone with the intent of going from ball 1. We don't need too many accumulators at top."

Jayant Isswani: "Ruturaj would be disappointed with himself. He should have known that a rain interruption is around the corner and he just needed to stay there!"

8.06pm And with that, the players are off yet again. The rain seems to have gotten heavier and the umpires have no option but to call for the covers. We wait again. There is a bit of breeze around, so here's hoping the clouds blow away. There is a constant drizzle, as Hemant tells us.

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Rishabh Pant is the new man in. Ngidi is around the wicket to him to start with.

Drizzling again

Kagiso Rabada starts from over the wicket

Around the wicket

Around the wicket to Kishan

Lungi Ngidi to start off from the other end. Over the wicket.

Around the wicket to the right-hander

7.47pm Right, we try again. The two Indian openers, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad are walking out to the middle. The South African fielders get around in a huddle. And it will be spin to start with, Keshav Maharaj it is from over the wicket to Kishan.

Raul Dravid, head coach of India speaks to the broadcasters: [On the last few months] Quite exciting, it has been good fun, challenging, but great. Have had to work with six captains in the last eight months, which wasn't the plan. Just the nature of Covid, the number of games, managing the squad, managing the workload, I have had to work with a number of captains, which has meant a lot of other guys have gotten the opportunity to lead. We are improving, we are getting better. That is great. As we look back, South Africa was a disappointment especially with the WTC cycle, but our white-ball cricket has been great. Even here, which does not have a lot of our main players, the squad has been great. [On the talent at the IPL] It was fantastic at the IPL to see the talent. The kind of speeds that our boys were clocking, the new boys have done well. It provides us with a lot more options.

Chintan: "You can't leave Kohli out of All Time 11 in any format? How many has 50 average in T20, even though he doesn't have century in last 2-3 years he still maintain 50 average "

Anshu: "Unpopular opinion and one even I struggle with but honestly there doesn't seem to be a place for Kohli in India's strongest XI. Rohit, KL, Surya, pant, Hardik, DK, Jadeja for me"

Yashwanth: "Its drizzling at the famous silkboard junction." If you are stuck at the junction, my friend, you might not be able to watch the match for a while. I suppose ESPNcricinfo is the place for you, Yashwanth.

We wait and, in the meantime, let's continue with our earlier debate.

Dan: "I have a radical suggestion. With Kohli really struggling of late and Indian middle order looking very brittle, I am wondering if Karthik can come in place of Kohli or Iyer. Pant is a phenomenal talent and should not be dropped at this stage. Why not go for an inform Karthik." Na, you really can't leave out Kohli from an Indian side, if he is available and fit. What is the consensus though?

Akash: "Even though I wouldn't give up on Pant, he seems to be a little out of hand whenever I see him on the field. I believe Karthik is more capable of handling tricky situations. Seen this before in the nidahas trophy in 2018. Pant has shown more class during test matches when the team depended on him during the unforgettable test series decider at the gabba and earlier this year against South Africa."

7:25pm And, we have a start time. The match will get underway at 7:50pm, that is approximately 25 minutes from now. The game has been reduced to 19 overs-a-side. There is just one cover remaining, which is also getting removed now, and the super sopper is in action in all its glory. The stadium, I must add is packed.

7:15pm Further good news. Rain has stopped. There is some activity on the outfield now. The covers are being removed as I type. The super sopper is doing its job. One super sopper in action, informs Hemant. The covers are coming off the pitch too now.

7:10pm: Hemant informs us that rain has gotten lighter now. Worth noting that the drainage system at M Chinnaswamy is one of the best in the world, so once the rain stops, don't think it will take a lot of time for the outfield to dry.

As we wait for the weather to clear, the DK-Pant debate continues.

Sampath: "Pant has a great record in Australia. Left hand right hand combo lends stability to India's middle order. Given Pandya and Jadeja are handy all rounders, playing DK as a super specialist finisher shouldn't be an issue for India with a strong top 3 of Kohli, KL and Rohit "

gururajp: "Since will have a long delay, lets settle the Pant DK debate. Since India not did well in last T20 WC so they should not experiment with team and get the best inform players, so DK should be in playing 11 and Pant can be backup"

Rajat: "Is there place for DK in WC squad. I say yes but what's gonna happen is team management is NOT going to replace Pant the Keeper so DK or Ishan will have to edge out another batsman. It may mean India playing with 2 or even 3 wicketkeeper batsmen similar to 2019 ODI WC semis. Hope the result will be different this time for them"

7:00pm: Right, not long now. There is a steady breeze, and there could be a bit of swing for the pacers. Aaaand on cue, the rain has come in just as the players arrive on the ground. The covers are on the ground. The drizzle makes way for a strong shower. We will have to wait. Hemant informs us that apart from the square, they have covered two additional practice pitches near the North end.

Nishant : "@gururajp 12 kms from the ground..you say. Accounting for Bangalore traffic, my calculations show it would take the rain an hour before it reaches the ground." The famous Bangalore traffic has made its appearance.

Aravinth : "I'm sure your Statsguru does not have this. When was the last time we had a captain and the commentator with the same last name?! Welcome, Ashish! " Haha, don't underestimate Statsguru, my friend.

gururajp: "I stay 12km from Chinnaswamy and it started raining here, hope it stays around my home only, fingers crossed, looking for a cracking contest." Oops!

6:55pm Not long before the first ball. And as I type this, dark clouds are hovering.

Sampath Bandarupalli with another stat attack. India are first team to field same XI in all five matches of a bilateral T20I series. Five teams before India have fielded the same XI in a T20I tournament while playing five or more matches.

On the topic of Rishabh Pant, the South African bowlers have used the wide line to keep the batter quiet. In 19 T20 innings this year, Pant has fallen to wide deliveries ten times. With Karthik strengthening the middle order, can this weakness cost Pant a spot in India's T20I XI? Hemant Brar analyses.

6:45pm The one name who is keeping everyone on their toes is Dinesh Karthik. Having scored his maiden T20I half-century 16 years after making his debut, Karthik has come out of obscurity to almost cementing his place in the Indian side for the T20 World side. But is there place at all for Karthik in the T20WC side with Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan already there? Have your say.

India: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

South Africa: 1 Quinton de kock, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 David Miller, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj (capt), 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Anrich Nortje

6:30pm Five losses out of five for Rishabh Pant at the toss. Keshav Maharaj calls correctly and South Africa are fielding first.

Three changes for the visitors: Tristan Stubbs, Reeza Hendricks, and Kagisio Rabada are in replacing Temba Bavuma, Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen.

India are unchanged yet again.

"We have gone with the extra batters, four pacers and one spinners so we will like to come back. We have to focus on our process, and our gameplay. There are is such an exciting buzz out here and the boys are excited to play," says Keshav Maharaj.

"(On losing the toss again) I have tried practicing but it is not working. Looks like a good wicket. We will look to have 180-190 [on the board]. The only conversation we had was to focus on the process. We are in the right space. Same team," says Rishabh Pant.

Toss in a bit. Maharaj is at the toss, informs Hemant. So, Bavuma is likely to sit out.

6:25pm Here's Deep Dasgupta's pitch report: This venue has been a nightmare for the bowlers in the past, one of the reasons is the high altitude. The 67m boundary on either side also doesn't help, with the surface right in the middle. The pitch has been nice and firm in the past with good carry, but tonight, there are decent number of cracks in the areas the spinners will bowl. The spinners might get a bit of extra help from the wobbly nature of the cracks. No dew, because it has been overcast in recent times. The chasing side have had the upper hand and the toss might be crucial.

6:20pm Hemant Brar, our man at the ground has another update. Temba Bavuma's arm currently isn't taped, he is up and about and was one of the last to join the team huddle. In case, he does not play, Keshav Maharaj is likely to lead South Africa.

Afeef: "Hope the match goes forward and Miller plays a special knock in his 100th T20I match." Indeed, this is Miller's 100th T20I but interestingly not his 100th T20I for South Africa, as our man Sampath Bandarupalli points out. He played three T20Is for ICC World XI.

Mani : "How is Bangalore weather now? " Not raining now, is all I can say. But the conditions in Bangalore change very quickly.

The surface at M Chinnaswamy Stadium has typically been a high-scoring one and if the weather stays clear, expect another high-scoring encounter. Another thing to note is that even if it rains, the drainage system at the venue is top class, so unless it rains relentlessly, I think the match is pretty much on.

6:10pm The conditions will be in the spotlight in Bengaluru. There was a thunderstorm just a couple of nights back and rain has been around the city especially in the evenings. The forecast predicts rain to intervene in patches through the evening, including one around the start time. Having said that, I am approximately 8 kms away from the stadium, and for now the weather seems to be holding fine. Fingers crossed, we get a full game.

The first big news from Afzal Jiwani, our correspondent who is at the team hotel - Temba Bavuma, who had injured himself during the fourth T20I and was forced to retire hurt midway through his knock, is unlikely to play. His left arm was completely taped from wrist to shoulder while he was going into the team bus.

6:00pm Hello and welcome to the fifth and final T20I between India and South Africa, which will be staged at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. After a superb start to their series where they were up 2-0 and primed to take the trophy home, South Africa's fortunes have taken a complete U turn. They lost the third T20I in Visakhapatnam by 48 runs and were then skittled out for just 87 while chasing 170, in Rajkot. As the two teams move to IT capital of India, can South Africa stage a comeback and take the series or will the Indian juggernaut continue?