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Dharamsala: South Africa defeated India by seven wickets in the first Twenty20 international in Dharamsala on Friday night to take the lead in the three-match series.
The tourists chased down India's challenging 199-5 with two balls to spare following an opening stand of 77 off 53 deliveries between AB de Villiers (51) and Hashim Amla (36).
JP Duminy then hit an unbeaten 68 off 34 balls, sharing a match-winning fourth-wicket stand of 105 with Farhaan Behardien (32 not out).
South Africa’s pursuit of 200 was off to a rocking start when AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla took the bowlers apart in the six overs of power play. De Villiers was scoring at more than a strike-rate of 190, while Amla was not far behind with a strike-rate in the 160s.
After a tight over from Akshar Patel, the pressure was back on the South Africans which resulted in the run out of Amla. The key was with de Villiers after that, but he did not quite manage to set his eye in against the spinners and was dismissed one ball after scoring a fifty with Ravichandran Ashwin clean bowling him.
Skipper Faf du Plessis was the next person to be dismissed cheaply and he got out for just five runs, which left JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien at the crease. The spinners maintained the pressure and at one stage when the asking rate climbed beyond 12 with the batsmen still looking unsettled, it looked like doom awaited South Africa.
However, another twist in the plot was managed by Duminy by taking Akshar Patel apart for three consecutive sixes in the 15th over. After that over, the match down to South Africa side.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma smashed 106 off 66 balls as India piled up 199-5 after being sent in to bat by South Africa.
Virat Kohli hit a 27-ball 43 and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni finished the innings with a six as the hosts waded into the Proteas attack in front of a sell-out crowd of 23,000 at the picturesque venue.
Sharma plundered 12 boundaries and five sixes in his maiden T20 century, displaying a spectacular array of strokes all round the ground.
Kohli became the first Indian batsman to score 1,000 T20 runs as he blazed his way to three sixes and a four.
The pair put on 138 off 74 balls for the second wicket after Shikhar Dhawan was run out for three attempting a second run.
India were coasting at 160-1 in the 16th over before the tourists hit back with four wickets in the final overs.
Sharma, who pulled Chris Morris for a six early in his innings, brought up his half-century by steering Kyle Abbott to the third man fence for his eighth boundary.
Sharma lofted Imran Tahir to mid-wicket to raise India's 100 in the 12th over, the first of three sixes the leg-spinner conceded in the over.
The next over from young fast bowler Kagiso Rabada produced 14 runs with Sharma taking two sixes as India raced to 129-1 in 13 overs.
Both Kohli and Sharma were dismissed in the 16th over bowled by Abbott as they hit out to boost the total.
The second match will be played in Cuttack on Monday and the third in Kolkata next Thursday.
Brief scores
India - 199/5 (Rohit 106, Kohli 43, Abbott 2-29)
South Africa - 200/3 (Duminy 68*, de Villiers 51, Amla 36)
Result - South Africa won by 7 wickets
