KL Rahul blames lack of wickets in middle-overs, middle-order collapse for loss

KL Rahul, the skipper of the Indian side, rued lack of wickets in the middle overs and below-par show by the middle order batters for the team's 31-run defeat against South Africa in the ODI series-opener on Wednesday.

After opting to bat first, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 68 for the loss of three wickets in 17.4 overs. However, a 204-run partnership between Temba Bavuma (110) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out) powered South Africa to a match-winning 296 for four in the first innings. 

"It was a nice game. There's so much to learn. We started off really well; we couldn't get wickets in the middle. We'll look to see how we get wickets in the middle overs and stop the opposition," Rahul said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

In reply, India started off the run chase in a commanding fashion courtesy of half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Virat Kohli (51). However, the middle order failed to capitalise on the foundation and lost wickets in a heap. 

"The middle-order couldn't get going. We were on par for the first 20-25 overs of the game. I thought we would chase it down easily, but South Africa bowled really well and got crucial wickets," said Rahul.

"I didn't bat after the 20th over; I don't know if it changed drastically. Virat and Shikhar told that it was a good wicket to bat on; you just had to spend some time in the middle; unfortunately, we couldn't get the partnership going," he further added. 

With an eye on the ODI World Cup is 2023, the right-handed batter said, "We want to get the best XI on the park. We'll make mistakes, but we'll learn from them," he concluded. 

On the other hand, Bavuma was delighted with the performance of the team and said, "We can take a lot of confidence. I struggled throughout the innings; Rassie seemed like batting on another wicket. That partnership was the decider," he said.

The skipper also praised Marco Jansen for his performance in his debut game. "Another good debut for him; we feel he can take wickets with the new ball. He's growing from strength to strength, and it's nice to see. Aiden is always an option with the ball, especially with the new ball. He's been doing a fantastic job," he said. 

(With inputs from PTI)