Indian captain Rishabh Pant admitted that they were 10-15 runs short in the second T20I against South Africa at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on Sunday after the hosts lost by four wickets. India could only manage 148 runs on the board after Temba Bavuma once again won the toss and decided to bat first.
It was a difficult pitch to bat on as it had invariable bounce and there was also a lot of seam movement on offer. The Indian batters struggled to string any good partnership. Ishan Kishan scored 34 runs whereas Shreyas Iyer added 40 runs but India failed to achieve any momentum in the middle overs.
In fact, it looked like India will even struggle to get 130 at one stage but Dinesh Karthik added the finishing touches as he scored a little cameo of 30 runs off 21 balls.
On the other hand, India got off to a good start as Bhunveshwar Kumar took three wickets in his opening spell. However, Indian spinners – Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal – failed to put a lid on the scoring rate as they conceded 68 runs in the five overs they bowled collectively.
Heinrich Klaasen, who got his chance in place of injured Quinton de Kock, grabbed his chance as he scored a match-winning knock of 81 runs off just 46 balls. The right-hander, who holds a good record against India, seemed like batting on a different pitch altogether. Klaasen took his time in the initial phase of his innings but changed gears against the Indian spinners as he took the attack to them.
Klaasen added 64 runs with skipper Temba Bavuma and India could not stem the flow of runs in the middle overs despite a good start.
Rishabh Pant said in the post-match presentation, “We were 10-15 runs short. Bhuvi and the fast bowlers bowled well in the first 7-8 overs. But after that we weren’t up to the mark. In the second half we needed wickets, but we couldn’t get those wickets. They (Klaasen and Bavuma) actually batted really well. We could have bowled better, hope we improve in the next game. We need to win all the remaining three games now.”
South Africa has taken a 2-0 lead in the series after another dominating display. The Proteas have done a fine job as they have come up with a collective effort.
On the other hand, all the remaining three matches will be must-wins for the home team. The third T20I between these two teams will take place at Vishakhapatnam on Tuesday.
