India vs SA 2nd T20I: Team India’s Vice-captain KL Rahul defended the Indian bowlers who gave 221 runs in the second T20I against South Africa on Sunday.
The high-scoring game saw Indian bowlers leaked runs, and at one stage of the game fans feared of India losing the 238 target in 20 overs match.
Despite removing the top-three batters early, Indian bowlers failed to take any more wickets and went on to give 174 runs in just 82 balls.
David Miller was the standout performer for the South African side as he smashed an unbeaten 106 off 47. His knock included eight fours and seven sixes. However, his innings went in vain as the visitors lost the match by 16 runs.
But the way they played against Indian bowlers and took the game to a somehow manageable stage was just exceptional, while Indian bowlers once again faced criticism for the same.
KL Rahul Backs Indian Bowlers
Team India vice-captain KL Rahul, however, came in support of Indian bowlers and said we need to understand conditions as well, as in the last game they restricted the visitors for 106 and today they went for runs.
“Overall as a team there’s a lot that we need to get better at. Not only for us but for all teams. These are great opportunities for all teams to experiment and to try and see what works for them. Just because we got 237 doesn’t mean there is no room for us to improve as a batting unit. In the same way, there is a lot of room for the bowlers to improve as well. In the last game they restricted the team to 106 and today they went for runs. You have to take into consideration the conditions also, the pitch, it was humid, and there was dew, so it was hard for the bowlers to grip the ball, “ said Rahul in a post-match presentation.
Winning Games is A Team Effort – KL Rahul
Rahul further stated that winning the matches is a team effort.
“If it was such a big concern then I don’t think we would’ve won as many games as we have. It’s never that one skill that wins you games. It’s always a team effort. Having said that, there have been games where bowlers have done well. But in a format like this, you will have bad days. It’s a high-risk game. Things move fast.
We always want to keep getting better as a team. Today was one of those days when our bowlers couldn’t execute 7 out of 10 balls or so but that doesn’t mean it will keep happening. This is something we need to learn and get better at,” he added.
Earlier, Rohit and Rahul put a strong partnership of 96 for the first-wicket that helped India to set a big target. And then Suryakumar with his impressive 61 off 21, while Virat Kohli 49 not-out of 28 guide India to 237 for 3 in 20 overs.
