Cape Town: India skipper KL Rahul says the team needs to have some “tough talks” after their 3-0 ODI series loss against a relatively inexperienced South Africa side.
India were expected to take the series and were buoyed by the fact that all three games were played on pitches that favored them, but could not go over the line.
The team was without the injured Rohit Sharma, who would be captain when he returned, but was otherwise close to full strength.
“Our shot selection has been poor at times and we haven’t been hitting the right areas consistently with the ball,” Rahul said in a post-match presentation after a painful four-run loss in the third game at Newlands on Sunday.
He said, ‘That’s why we lost the series. We have to try to understand how we can get better as a team.”
India looked flat at times in the series, although this may be related to the scorching heat in which all three games were played. Rahul doesn’t believe players can be questioned for effort.
“I can’t blame the boys for the passion and effort. Yes, we have gone wrong many times in terms of skill and understanding the game situation, but it can happen.”
He believes that what is important now is for the team to regroup and take stock of the loss of the series, and make changes where necessary.
“We kept making the same mistakes but this is just the beginning of our journey to the World Cup. So we should go back (home), have some tough conversations and look at ourselves in the mirror to see where we can be better.”
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