IND vs SA: After India failed to defend 358 against South Africa in the second ODI, captain KL Rahul said that the toss and heavy dew have become the defining aspects of the series so far between India and South Africa.
India lost their 20th successive ODI toss and South Africa, after opting to bowl first managed a four-wicket win with four balls to spare to square the series 1-1. Rahul admitted that losing the toss in conditions loaded in favour of the chasing side is proving costly. He said that bowling with a wet ball is still very tough, even as the umpires have allowed multiple ball changes.
IND vs SA: India Wanted 20-25 Extra Runs
Reflecting on the defeat, Rahul revealed that the team has been discussing ways to push their total 20–25 runs higher, especially when bowling second with dew in play. Although India posted 349 and successfully defended it in Ranchi, the bigger target of 358 wasn’t enough in the second ODI.
Rahul made it clear that even though a score of 350 or more provides a team with a solid foundation, teams still require additional support in order to successfully defend a win during difficult weather conditions due to rain. Minor mistakes, such as giving up easy-to-hit balls and making poor fielding decisions, can prove to be the difference in the outcome of a match.
Centuries from Kohli and Gaikwad Shine Through
The massive score for India was powered by Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who stitched a brilliant 195-run stand off 156 balls for the third wicket. That was Kohli’s 11th instance of successive ODI hundreds. Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI hundred with an aggressive approach against the spinners.
Rahul praised both, with especial credit to Gaikwad’s change of tempo once he reached fifty, which gave much-needed impetus to India’s innings.
Stumbling at the Finish Despite Strong Platform
Thus, although there were eight wickets in hand, India only managed to add 103 runs in the final 15 overs and just 74 in the last 10, which ultimately proved to be the difference. While Rahul himself had an impactful 66 off 43*, the rest of the lower middle order struggled to accelerate:
Washington Sundar: 1 off 8
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Ravindra Jadeja: 24* off 27
Rahul mentioned that better contributions from positions 5-6-7 could have resulted in the extra runs required.
Rahul’s Promotion to No. 5 Explained
Though listed at No. 6 at the toss, Rahul came in ahead of time because of Kohli-Gaikwad’s flourishing partnership. He said he and head coach Gautam Gambhir felt promoting a confident, in-form batter would help maintain the scoring tempo. Rahul added that by virtue of his recent runs and experience in the middle order, he was the right fit to keep the innings moving at that stage.
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