KL Rahul very disappointed with the defeat in the ODI series, told the weakness of Team India
South Africa beat India 3-0 in the ODI series. In the third and final ODI of the series (IND vs SA 3rd ODI), India suffered a crushing defeat by 4 runs. KL Rahul, who is commanding the team, looked very disappointed with this defeat. He also told the weakness of Team India after the match and discussed the reasons for the defeat. Rahul also had a poor record in his name and he became the first Indian captain under whose leadership the team had to face defeat in all three ODIs of the series.
KL Rahul said after the match, ‘It is very clear where we went wrong. I am not running away from this. Sometimes our shot selection was poor. Even with the ball, we were not able to hit the right areas consistently. We played well in between but could not put pressure on the opposition team for long. Can’t blame the players for the passion and effort. In terms of skill and understanding the situation- sometimes we go wrong but it happens.
South Africa gave India a target of 288 runs in this match but the visiting team was all out for 283 runs and lost the match by 4 runs. For India, Shikhar Dhawan (61) and Virat Kohli (65) shared a 98-run partnership for the second wicket. Dhawan was dismissed on the team score of 116. India’s middle order faltered once again. Pant (0) could not even open the account, Shreyas Iyer (26) and Suryakumar Yadav (39) also could not freeze at the time of need. Deepak Chahar (54) certainly raised some hopes and played a half-century in 34 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes, but after his dismissal, the last 2 batsmen could not even add 10 runs.
Rahul praised Deepak Chahar. He said, ‘Deepak gave us a chance to win the match. Played very well and delivered the match in an exciting situation. Just disappointed that we will return as the losing side. We gave ourselves a real chance, something we can learn from and get better at. We have some new people in the team.
He further said, ‘We have been making the same mistakes many times in the ODI series. This is the beginning of our journey to the World Cup. We can go back, discuss some of the difficult aspects. Had a great time in South Africa. We have shown a lot of struggle.
Wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock scored a century and scored 124 runs for South Africa. He also made a century partnership with Rasi van der (52). Quinton was also adjudged Man of the Match and Player of the Series. He said, ‘The pitch was not flat at all. There was a wicket where you can never stay for long. Returned to the team before the series and trained for a week in Paarl. In the first match, I was just trying to find some rhythm. Now he was trying to improve himself in this match as well. Then I found my rhythm in the second ODI. Will return home now for some ‘daddy’ duties.
