IND vs SA 1. ODI: KL Rahul blames lack of wicket in midfield sessions, loss of middle order collapse

Indian skipper KL Rahul blamed the team for a lack of a wicket in the central overs and a low-level show by the midfielders for 31 defeats against South Africa at the opening of the ODI series on Wednesday.

Temba Bavuma’s home team (110) and Rassie van der Dussen (not 129 away) were a solid combination as South Africa won the game by 296 as four Indian volleyball players struggled to take the wickets.

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“It was a nice game. There’s a lot to learn. We started very well, we couldn’t get wickets in the middle. We’ll see how we get wickets in the middle overs and stop the opponent,” Rahul said. he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

When India followed, Rahul, Rishabh Pant (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and Venkatesh Iyer (2) could not help much.

“The middle order couldn’t go. We were on par with the first 20-25 overs of the game. I thought we were going to go easily, but SA went very well with the bowling alley and got the wickets crucial,” Rahul said.

Asked for comments on the wicket, the Indian captain said: “I didn’t bathe after 20 passes, I don’t know if it changed completely. Virat and Shikhar said it was a good wicket to match, you just had to spend some time in the middle. , unfortunately we have not been able to start a partnership. ”

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They (South Africa) did very well, they put pressure on the bowlers and we couldn’t get those wickets in the middle. There were 290+ more runs, but we needed more cooperation in the middle. ”

Rahul also said they don’t play single-day cricket, but they do remember the 2023 World Cup.

“We want to get the best XI in the park. We will make mistakes but we will learn from them,” he said, referring to the World Cup.

Meanwhile, home captain Bavuma said they played “close to the perfect match”. “This is quite difficult in cricket over 50. We can have a lot of confidence. I struggled throughout the entry, it seemed like Rassie was batting in another wicket. That association was crucial,” he said.

Speaking more about his partnership with Van der Dussen, he said: “I tried my best to be a partner.”

All the praise was also for the pacer Marco Jansen, who did not take a wicket but was impressed.

“Another good debut for him (Jansen), we feel he can take the wickets with the new ball. He’s growing strong and it’s nice to see. Aiden (Markram) is always a chance with the ball, especially with the new ball. He’s doing a wonderful job.”