India captain KL Rahul mentioned that his team needed to be more alert during the crucial moments of the game but at the same time he acknowledged that the outcome of the toss was decisive in the home team’s defeat against South Africa by four wickets in the second ODI at Raipur on Wednesday. India was asked to bat first and scored a mammoth 358 for five, thanks to Virat Kohli (102 off 93 balls), his 53rd ODI hundred and Ruturaj Gaikwad (105 off 83 balls) who attained his first hundred in the format, not just with the help of their hundreds but also centuries from both of them. However, South Africa managed to achieve the target with stunning confidence and ended up with 362 for six in 49.2 overs, mainly because of Aiden Markram’s (110) outstanding century and Matthew Breetzke’s (68) and Dewald Brevis’s (54) half-centuries.
“Not really a hard one, considering how much dew there is and how hard it is to bowl in the second innings,” Rahul said during the post-match presentation after his team lost the toss for the second time in a row in the series.
“I thought we did well in the last game. Today the umpires were kind enough to allow changing the ball. The toss has a big impact, so I am blaming myself (laughs).”
Rahul confessed that India didn’t take advantage of some situations. “With the bat, I know that 350 looks good, but that has been the talk in the dressing room even after the last game-about how we can get the extra 20-25 runs to give bowlers a cushion with the wet ball,” he said.
“It was a pleasure to see Rutu and the way he batted. Virat-we have already seen him do it 55 times, or is it 53? He just goes about doing his job. It was captivating watching Rutu bat, the way he raised the tempo after reaching his fifty.”
south Africa meanwhile for the chase it was their biggest successful run chase in India ODIs history and this wonderful fact made captain Temba Bavuma happy.
“Happy to have crossed the line. We, being the players, have thought of how to get better with the ball during and prior to this game. There were partnerships at the top, better showing from us, unbelievable game, record chase, and it shows how well we have to play against India,” said Bavuma.
“I tried to build a partnership with Aiden, tried to take the game deep, and it was all about the partnerships. The ploy to send Brevis early went in our favour. We can take a lot of confidence with this win.” He also said that there is very tough competition for spots on the team which is the reason why the whole team is progressing.
“The guys who are here are the best; there is a high level of competition for positions. The batters know they have to be at their best. Performances like these do good for our confidence.”
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