Raipur, Dec 3 – In a relaxed tone, India’s captain K.L. Rahul admitted that the five‑run loss to South Africa in the second ODI isn’t hard to digest, especially given the heavy dew that made bowling in the later part of the match tough. At the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, the hosts posted a respectable 358 for five, thanks largely to century hits from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli, while Rahul added an unbeaten 66.
South Africa, however, chased the target easily, wrapping up their run chase with four balls to spare. Aiden Markram led the way with a solid 110, followed by Matthew Breetzke’s smooth 68 and Dewald Brevis’s adventurous 54.
“Not really. Considering how much dew there is and how difficult it is to bowl in the second innings, the umpires have been nice enough to change the ball. Toss plays a huge role, and I am kicking myself for losing the toss (with laughter),” Rahul said at the end of the game.
He also reflected that the bowlers’ performance and fielding could have been sharper. “There are always things we could have done better. With the bat, I know that 350 looks good, but that has been the chat in the dressing room even after the last game about how we can get the extra 20–25 runs to give bowlers a cushion with the wet ball,” he added.
When asked about the 195‑run stand between Gaikwad and Kohli, Rahul praised both players. “It was beautiful to watch Rutu and the way he batted. Virat, we have seen him do it 55 times, or 53. He just goes about doing his job. It was beautiful watching Rutu bat, the way he picked up the tempo after reaching his fifty. The tempo that he batted is what gave us that extra 20 runs; the lower order could have contributed more.”
Rahul was slated to come in at the sixth slot but chose to bat at five, explaining his thinking. “Today is the first time that I’ve been slotted at 6 and walked in at 5. Otherwise, it’s always a decision before the game.”
He continued, “But the way the partnership was going on, they set the tempo, so GG bhai and I felt that would be the right time for me to walk in and keep the tempo going. I got a fifty in the last game, so someone who is high on confidence was probably the right person to walk in. We decided when we got past the 30–35 over mark.”
—nr/bsk/
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