Chahal mastery keeps South Africa in check

South Africa's chase was about to enter the 15th over, with the visitors still needing 85 to clinch the series, when Avesh Khan was getting ready for his duties at the death.

Rishabh Pant had done exceedingly well till that point with managing his bowling resources as his side was tasked with defending a total for the third time this series - with the extra burden of survival hanging over their heads. Heinrich Klaasen, India's chief tormentor from just two nights ago, was still out there hoping to haunt them again and render the last two fixtures meaningless in the process.

The numbers from Sunday backed up Pant's initial decision, until a last minute change brought Klaasen face-to-face with Chahal, again. Until the muggy Tuesday night in Visakhapatnam, the South African had taken 74 runs off just 28 balls he'd faced against Chahal in T20s. Thirty of those were smashed off 13 balls in the Cuttack fixture. The big South African came with game-changing tendencies that India could ill-afford at that juncture.

But what Klaasen faced on Tuesday, was a different Chahal. Not the Chahal who mostly bowled predictable lengths and speeds in the two defeats, but the consistently versatile version of him that recently pocketed the purple cap with variations in lengths and speeds, and overall bowling smarts.

The first three balls that Klaasen faced from Chahal in the seventh and ninth overs were familiar - all quick, flat and with very little wiggle room for a big heave. When the two squared off in the 15th over, Chahal once again kept up his speed closer to 90kmph and pushed the length fuller to only let him pick a single. On the fifth ball of the same over, with Klaasen and South Africa's reeking of desperation for quick runs, Chahal changed tune. He unfurled a tossed up leg spinner, full and wide, that lured Klaasen into mistiming his big shot, which only went as far as the extra cover fielder.

"I bowled a lot of sliders and bowled quicker in the previous matches. Today, I changed my seam position. Spinning and getting the ball to dip are my strengths. Today I tried to get it to turn and bowl slower," Chahal said in the post-match presentation after India's series-extending victory.

Even before picking that Klaasen wicket that duly extinguished South Africa's chase, Chahal brought what India have missed this series - bowling control in the middle-overs. India conceded 66 in 6.1 overs of spin bowling in Delhi, and did worse in Cuttack, with 68 given away in just five overs - accounting for only one wicket on each occasion.

But in conditions where the ball spun sharply, Chahal's variations came as a mystery to South Africa's middle-order that was already saddled with a steep asking rate after a meek PowerPlay (38 for 2). Chahal laid out his myriad tricks - the ambitious away turner from middle and leg stump, teasing loopy deliveries outside the off stump and the occasional darts angled in towards the right hander - while his speeds oscillated between early 80s to mid-90 kmph.

His first victim of the night - Rassie van der Dussen - fell trying to make room and cut the ball away, only for a bit of extra bounce and spin to result in a caught behind. Dwaine Pretorius delayed his stroke-making decisions as much as possible against leggie to get on top of the variations. He even managed to send a length delivery over the bowler's head for a four. But just the next ball, his plan to hang back and play a late dab to the vacant third man region ended in another celebration for India. This ball from Chahal was quicker than the previous one and had nearly no spin, taking the outside edge to a sharp catch from Pant.

Chahal's spell eventually read: 4 overs, 11 dots, 20 runs, 3 wicketsas he took a stab at South Africa's big strength of the series - middle-overs partnership building. He denied two key stands and allowed Pant to devise a seamless bowling plan around his mastery and catch South Africa well short in chase. If Rohit Sharma's watching, he'll be chuffed to know of the bowling versatility he has at his disposal for Australia later this year.