Cricket News

Rishabh Pant reveals reason for India’s loss in first T20I vs South Africa

The first game of the T20I series between India and South Africa was an absolute cracker of a contest. It was a high-scoring affair. The Indian batters were superb, which is why they were able to post a good total of 211-4. The South Africans however did not look phased at any point of the run chase and achieved the target quite easily. At the end, a calculated partnership of 131 runs in 64 balls by the batting duo of David Miller(64) and Rassie van der Dussen(75) propelled the visitors to a stunning victory.

Captain Rishabh Pant, who has been asked to lead the team in the absence of KL Rahul, has blamed the bowlers for the loss. The Delhi player thinks that India had a good total on the board, but the bowlers could not execute their balls properly. He also lauded the oppositions for their perfect run chase.

Speaking in the post-match interview, the 24-year-old said, “I think we had enough on the board but were off with our execution, but credit to the opposition.”

“We thought the slower one was working when we were batting but it became easier in the second innings. We were very happy with the total but next time we are in a similar situation we will do better,” said the Indian southpaw when asked about their bowling strategy.

The Protea skipper Temba Bavuma was beaming with pride at the post-match interview when he said, “That was a proper batting display. David (Miller) carried his form, properly supported by Rassie (van der Dussen). It was a good wicket, probably reading the situation better and going to the death options earlier and taking away the boundary balls.” Bavuma showered praise on Dussen, saying “we have a lot of belief of Rassie, he is the guy who sees us through”, while David “makes it very explosive.”

India and South Africa go against each other again in Cuttack on 12th June.