Team India vice-captain KL Rahul stoutly defended bowlers saying the blame lies with the hot and humid conditions in Guwahati and the workload on the bowlers playing “so many matches on the go”.
Asked to bat, India had posted a massive 237 for 3 but South Africa recovered from a disastrous start to take the game deep before eventually falling short by 16 runs.
Rahul said the same bowling unit got South Africa all out for 106 and today; they went for runs.
.@klrahul bags the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia seal a win in the second #INDvSA T20I. 👍 👍
Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/58z7VHliro pic.twitter.com/HM9gTI7tzo
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 2, 2022
“Just two days back, they got South Africa bowled out for 106 and today they went for runs. You also have to take it into consideration the conditions, there was a little bit of due, it is also a very humid place, so it’s hard for the bowlers to grip. And when you are chasing 240, the batters will go after you, it becomes a little bit difficult for the bowlers to execute what they want,” Rahul told reporters.
“It is a high-intensity game, we have been playing so much cricket on the go and at certain times, the body also tires up. And just because we got 237, it doesn’t mean that as a batting group, there is no room for improvement,” he added.
The injury-forced absence of Jasprit Bumrah had reduced the venom of the Indian bowling attack, as they have been put under pump a lot in the recent games.
Appreciation all around for David Miller. 👏👏
But it’s #TeamIndia who win the second #INDvSA T20I to take an unassailable lead in the series. 🙌 🙌
Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/58z7VHliro pic.twitter.com/ShKkaF0inW
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 2, 2022
“If it [bowling] was such a big concern, we could not have won so many games. It is never that one skill that wins you the game, It is always a team effort.”
“There have been games where bowlers have done exceedingly well. In a format like this you are going to have a good or a bad day for both the batter and the bowlers.”
Rahul scored 57 off 28 and put on 96 for the opening stand with Rohit Sharma. Rahul’s knock was studded with five fours and four maximums.
WHAT. A. SHOT! 👌 👌@klrahul unleashes one for a superb MAXIMUM! 👏 👏
Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/58z7VHDrFw
Don’t miss the LIVE coverage of the #INDvSA match on @StarSportsIndia pic.twitter.com/94YIc0uIA2
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 2, 2022
Change after last T20 world Cup: take risks in batting
Rahul also said that post the debacle in the T20 World Cup in Dubai, the team had made a conscious effort to take risks while batting first and he is happy with the progress they have shown as a batting unit.
“While batting first, we always try to bat aggressive and take risks.The effort has been there for the last 10-12 months, since the last T20 World Cup. It is something that we have try to do consciously as a team, and we have done it whenever we have got the opportunity. It was a big learning from the last World Cup,” he said.
It was India’s first-ever bilateral T20 win over South Africa on home soil. It was also South Africa’s first defeat in seven bilateral engagements.
The third T20 will be played in Indore on Tuesday in both sides’ final T20 warmups before the World Cup gets underway in Australia later this month.
