India captain KL Rahul played a sweep shot against South Africa in the second ODI
A young South African punished a frustrated Indian team for its old-fashioned attitude, which handed them one of the most extensive series defeats in recent times with a comfortable seven-wicket win in the second ODI here.
The target of 288 was below-par on the flat track and experienced quinton de kock (78 off 66 balls) In the company of the rising sensation, Janman Malan (91 off 108 balls) added 132 for the match-deciding opening stand.
The home team eventually reached the target in 48.1 overs and took an unassailable 2–0 lead in the three-match series.
KL RahulThe captaincy ambitions of and head coach Rahul Dravid’s desire to be anointed for a long time, however, suffered a severe setback after back-to-back defeats in 50-over games at a track that compared to South Africa. was more Indian. nature.
India’s archaic approach, the safety-first mentality of the 90s hurt the team, as has been the case in the white-ball format for quite some time.
A tour that began with a great Test win at Centurion has now gone haywire and the Indian contingent will be looking to board a charter flight after the inconsistent third ODI at Newlands on Monday, which will be a spicier track in comparison. One in Boland Park.
Barring Rishabh Pant’s attacking style, the batting was very defensive in the beginning with skipper Rahul, whose 55 off 79 balls was a bygone era, which may not align with the fearless cricket that teams now seek to embody.
Once Pant left, the match slipped from India’s grip during his innings as others failed to go when the ball did not hit the bat and it was not a track that offered firm and even bounce .
Plaguing Indian cricket is nothing new, but what is worrying is that nothing has been done to address the issues.
like an old man Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8-0-67-0) was pulled for a six as well by de Kock, while Malan came down the track to hit him through cover, indicating his opening 130kph. The speed of the , with its lack of variations, just wasn’t working.
For Shardul Thakur (40 not out and 5.1-0-36-0), a quality batting performance won’t save him if he doesn’t reduce the number of bad deliveries per spell.
And Ravichandran Ashwin (10-1-68-0)’s second foray into white-ball cricket could end in a whisper, before he gathers enough air to move on.
Yuzvendra Chahal (10-0-47-1) tried his best, but his confidence was shaken after he was unintentionally dropped from the T20 World Cup final squad.
Venkatesh Iyer (22 off 33 balls and 5-0-28-0) is still a work in progress and his fast-tracking in a limited-overs set-up falls short of practicality and more to find a new version of the injury. Desperate – stricken Hardik Pandya,
Iyer may grow into a good cricketer but he is far from a finished product and probably some time away from being successful at the international level in all conditions.
As of now, he is not the natural No 6, who could be a finisher like Pandya who was in his best days before the injury.
Had Pant not played the role of a promoter to perfection, even the target of 288 would not have been possible. And that’s when it looked like India would score close to 315 when it was on a steady stand of 115 with its captain.
But his early dismissal saw the Proteas return to the strip at Boland Park, where making the stroke for the new battery was not an easy proposition.
The two Iyers – Shreyas (11 off 14 balls) and Venkatesh (22 off 33 balls) found a real struggle to go with the ball not coming to the bat as the pace had completely changed.
South Africa missed out on four catches and a simple run out but they barely paid for their mistakes.
India ended with a score that was at least 20 runs short of the score considered challenging. For that, Pant had to score a deserving maiden ODI century, which did not happen.
Captain Rahul dropped the anchor at one end, but it was more than his own runs, which really helped the team’s cause as he remained on the wicket for more than 30 overs at the start of the innings and barely Score more than fifty.
Pant, with 10 fours and two sixes, took charge to keep the run-rate healthy at five-plus per over, even if the approach hurt.
both slow left-handed conservatives Keshav Maharaj (9-0-52-1) and left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (9-0-57-2), who otherwise looked good, was made for a walk by Pant.
,