Caretaker captain KL Rahul feels that the series loss to South Africa is a good lesson for Team India. The hosts won the three-match series 2-0 after registering a seven-wicket win over Rahul & Co in the second ODI on Friday. The Proteas thrashed India in back-to-back games at Paarl, Boland Park, where conditions looked more suitable for the visitors. This was India’s fourth consecutive defeat on this tour as the Proteas played group cricket.
After the series loss, Rahul said that India is very proud of the win but it has been a good learning experience for the team.
“I think they are playing some really good cricket at home, we are making mistakes in the middle as well. This is a good lesson for us. We are a team that takes great pride in winning, but there is good learning from us and hopefully we can move on,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
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The stand-in captain also talked about the departments where India need to improve going forward.
“We are trying to get better at things that we haven’t done well in the past. Partnerships, middle order becomes important when we are entering a big tournament, want to get better at bowling middle overs And these are some of the things that are really clear and in front of us. We’ve talked about it and it’s only up to us to get better, learn from it and find a way out.”
The 29-year-old admitted that the surface at Paarl was similar to home pitches and the chase was not easy here but South Africa showed the importance of partnership.
“It feels like a wicket at home and I don’t think it was a pitch where they could have chased down 280 so easily. Credit to them, they are showing us the importance of partnerships and putting pressure quickly against the bowlers.”
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Rahul also highlighted the positives for India from the ODI series and heaped praises on Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur.
“The way Shikhar and Virat batted in the first game was great, and the way Rishabh batted today, the way he managed the first 20 balls and then he got the spinners down. He is a really important member of the team and Shadrul is also showing us that he can bat down and contribute well. Jasprit has been a standout bowler for us and Yuji is good today.”
Rahul further talked about the challenges of being in the bio-bubble for the players.
“The energy has been great, it’s been hard on the body living in the bubble. We love the challenges and we’ve come up short in the first 2 games, we’ll look forward to the third game and try and win that. (Next) It is too early to say about the change in the team for ODIs.”
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