Proteas captain Quinton de Kock has found consolation in the performances of debutants Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje and Bjorn Fortuin after Wedneday’s seven-wicket defeat by India in the second T20I in Mohali.

A visiting XI minus the recently retired JP Duminy and Hashim Amla was also without regular captain Faf du Plessis, fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who were not selected for this three-match series.

De Kock and Bavuma, with 52 and 49 respectively, carried South Africa to 149-5. India reached the 150-run target with six deliveries to spare on the back of a commanding 72 not out from captain Virat Kohli.

Fast bowler Nortje recovered from an expensive over, in which opener Rohit Sharma struck to sixes, to tighten a balooning economy rate to nine. Spinner Bjorn Fortuin copped some late expense at the hands of Kohli, but snared the wicket of the dangerous Rishabh Pant.

‘There was a lot of pressure coming in for some of the new guys and I thought they played really well. Obviously we didn’t get a winning start, but I thought they held their nerve very well,’ said De Kock.

‘Unfortunately, when there was pace on the ball it looked like it was easier to bat on, so it was about taking the pace off.

‘I think we got off to a good start. Towards the end India bowled pretty well, as they understood the conditions a lot quicker than we did.’

Last week’s first T20I in Dharamsala was washed out without a delivery bowled. Bengaluru will host the third and final T20I on Sunday.

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