"After winning the toss we could have put 60-70 runs more" - KL Rahul on what went wrong for India against SA in Johannesburg
KL Rahul-led Team India succumbed to a seven-wicket defeat against South Africa in the second Test at the Wanderers. Dean Elgar (96) and Rassie van der Dussen (40) were the stalwarts of the South African win.
Speaking about what went wrong for the visitors, KL Rahul rued that they were 60-70 runs short in the first innings. Opting to bat first, India managed to post only 202 runs despite a good start by the openers. The middle-order faltered yet again before Ravichandran Ashwin saved the visitors from humiliation with a 46-run knock.
SOUTH AFRICA WIN! 🇿🇦
After losing Rassie van der Dussen, Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma made sure that they take their team home 🙌
#India #SouthAfrica #SAvIND https://t.co/L9aFmoPYpR
Speaking at the end of the game, KL Rahul stressed that they could have done better with the bat in the first innings. He said:
"If I have to be really harsh, after winning the toss we could have put 60-70 runs more."
South Africa staged a great comeback after a flop show in Centurion to take a crucial lead of 27 runs. They then bowled India out for 266 runs to set up a target of 240 runs.
Despite some hostile bowling from the Indian bowlers, Dean Elgar showed class and temperament to bat through to see the Proteas home. The southpaw was involved in sizeable partnerships with each and every batter as the home side leveled the three-match series.
A resilient and gritty knock from the South African captain, Dean Elgar help the Proteas level the series 🙌
A proper captain's knock 👌
#India #SouthAfrica #SAvIND https://t.co/vWr1oGzkV3
Lauding the Proteas side, KL Rahul said the host batters showed exceptional determination to chase down the total.
"Every Test match we play we feel we should win and want to win. That's the kind of team we are, we compete really hard and we leave everything on the field. So yes a bit disappointing but credit to the way South Africa played," Rahul, who captained his first Test said.
He added:
"They really batted well and bowled well. We were really looking forward to getting go nth field. We all felt we could do something special, 122 wasn't going to be that easy to get, the pitch was up and down, but like I said, the South African batsmen were really determined and got the job done."
With the series tied at 1-1, both India and South Africa have everything to play for in the series decider that starts on January 11th.
"We believe Pujara and Ajinkya are our best middle order batsmen" - KL Rahul on India's middle order
India's two senior-most batters, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, have been under the pump recently due to poor performances. However, they responded well with a counter-attacking 111-run partnership in the second innings of the second test. Both of them scored individual half-centuries, which will give them confidence in the next match, believes KL Rahul.
"They've been great players for us, they've always done the job for the team over the years. They've obviously been under the pump a bit, but in the team we believe Pujara and Ajinkya are our best middle order batsmen. We always knew they could do something like that. Hopefully that gives them confidence and they can go out in the next test and put up an even better performance," Rahul added.
KL Rahul also showered praise on Shardul Thakur, who chipped in with an all-round performance. He picked up seven wickets in the first innings before playing a quickfire knock of 28 runs from 25 deliveries. Rahul said:
"Shardul's had a great Test match. In the few Test matches he's played he's really created that impact and won us games. The contribution he had with the bat was crucial as well. Hopefully as a unit, a few more of us can put our hands up in the next Test and put up a performance that will get India a win."
"He should be fine" - Rahul on Virat Kohli's availability in the next Test
KL Rahul admitted incumbent captain Virat Kohli, who missed the Johannesburg Test due to back spasms, will be back to lead India in the final Test.
"Virat is feeling better already, been in the nets the last couple of days fielding and running around and I think he should be fine," KL Rahul concluded.
The third Test between India and South Africa will commence on January 11 at the Newlands in Cape Town.