The Indian team conceded a heart-breaking loss against South Africa in the second Test match which was being played in Johannesburg. The Indian bowlers surprisingly looked ineffective on the 4th Day and couldn’t pick the Proteas’ wickets. The stand-in skipper KL Rahul pondered on the loss in the post-match presentation and shared where his team faltered and ultimately lost the Test match.
Team India started the South Africa tour with a win in the first Test, however, the Proteas fought back in the second Test and levelled the series with one match to go. According to the stand-in skipper KL Rahul, it was India’s first-inning total that caused them the disadvantage and eventually the loss. The Indian batsmen struggled in the first inning and couldn’t notch up a score of around 300, in fact they barely crossed the 200-run mark.
Skipper KL Rahul blames Indian batsmen
The bowlers bowled their hearts out and restricted South Africa on 229, with just an insignificant lead of 27. After the conclusion of the match, skipper KL Rahul said that their score in the first inning wasn’t up to the mark and they were at least 50-60 runs short. “If I want to be harsh, the first innings total of 202 was at least 50-60 runs short, we should have scored more and put them under pressure,” said Rahul in the post-match presentation.
For a change, the Indian bowlers looked off-colour in the second inning. The hamstring pull of Mohammad Siraj also went against the Indian team. While skipper KL Rahul praised Shardul Thakur for his amazing bowling performance, he backed the experienced campaigners Pujara and Rahane. “They have been great players for us, have always done the job for us over the years but we believe Pujara and Rahane are our best middle-order players,” added Rahul.
With the series level at 1-1, both the teams will move on to the third match which will be played at Cape Town from 11th January. It is going to be a do or die match for both teams and they will look to trump their opposition and clinch the series 2-1.