The second T20 between India and South Africa in the north eastern city of Guwahati was packed with action on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma's team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series following a high-scoring match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium after the hosts smashed 237-3 before a fighting century from David Miller (106) and a fine fifty from Quinton de Kock (69) briefly raised hopes. South Africa scored 221-3 to lose by 16 runs.
The match was interesting for another, more unusual reason as well. In the first innings, play was halted after a snake slithered on to the field to disrupt the match. Ground staff quickly removed the intruder as the game resumed.
Then during the chase, the floodlights failed which forced players to go back to the dressing room. The fans waited patiently and ultimately enjoyed a thrilling exhibition of batting.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed 61 off 22 balls and put on a key 102-run stand with Virat Kohli, who made 49 not out, to drive India to 237-3 after being invited to bat first in Guwahati.
In reply, South Africa threatened to chase down the total thanks to a 174-run unbeaten stand between Miller and De Kock.
KL Rahul (57) and skipper Rohit Sharma (43) put on 96 runs to lay the foundations of the mammoth total - India's fourth highest in T20 matches.
Yadav took over after the openers departed as he raced to his fifty in 18 balls to bring the packed home crowd to their feet.
“Just thinking not to play him any more; just play him on the 23rd [of October, when India open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan],” captain Sharma said of the in-form Yadav, who hit his third successive half-century.
“He is somebody who wants to play the game, wants to keep going out there and keep doing well. That is what keeps him happy and we want to keep him happy.”
The third T20 in Indore on Tuesday is the final match for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia starting October 16, with the Super 12 beginning on October 22.
