"Don't think there's too much concern about Bhuvi bhai" - Rishabh Pant defends Bhuvneshwar Kumar after 2nd India vs South Africa ODI
Rishabh Pant has rallied behind pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after his expensive outing in the second ODI against South Africa. The wicketkeeper-batter denied there was any concern about Kumar's form and attributed India's jaded effort to the visitors not being able to adjust to the tempo of the 50-over format.
The Proteas won the match by seven wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The Indians put up a decent score of 287-6 while batting first. But the visiting bowlers weren't incisive enough and allowed South Africa to go wicketless for 22 overs and chase the total down with 13 balls to spare. Kumar lacked pace and was far from consistent, going for 67 runs in his eight overs - the most expensive of the Indian bowlers.
During the post-match press conference, Pant was asked about India's troubles of taking wickets in the powerplay and Kumar's form. He replied:
"As a team, we are always looking to improve but I don't think there's too much concern about Bhuvi bhai because obviously we are playing One-Days after a long time so we are just getting used to the momentum. Obviously, we are disappointed after losing the series but at the same time, we are looking to learn from our mistakes."
Some observers felt that the toss played a big role in South Africa's 31-run win in the first ODI as the wicket was easier to bat in the first innings, but got slow in the second. India won the toss and batted first on the same pitch on Friday but lost again.
Most times Indian Pacer Conceding 60+ runs without picking wicket
8 - Bhuvneshwar kumar*
6 - Ajit Agarkar
6 - Irfan Pathan
6 - Ishant Sharma
Out of 8, Bhuvi's 5 against SA Hushed face
#INDvsSA
Pant admitted that while the pitch played similarly in the two games, the performances of the two teams' middle orders were the difference. The southpaw said:
"I think the track was slightly on the slower side. But at the same time, I think we had enough runs on the board. In the last match, we chased and in this match, we batted first. [In the last match] the wicket was much better for batting first and in the second innings, it became slower and slower as the game progressed. And today it was the same but they batted well in the middle-overs and that's why chased down the target."
India's middle order had crumbled completely after a good start in the first match and it might have been the same in this one had it not been for Pant's 71-ball 85. The 25-year-old showed gumption against spinners, hitting 10 fours and two sixes overall. He was also the most vocal behind the stumps in the second innings, egging the fielders up even when the match looked long lost at the halfway stage.
"As a spinning unit we could have done a bit better" - Rishabh Pant
Something that should make India think. Both sides' spinners gave runs at over 5 but:
SA spinners 8 wickets, avg 33.37, SR 39.0
IND spinners 2 wickets, avg 111, SR 120.5
Shamsi, Maharaj, Markram out-bowling Chahal, Ashwin....
Pant was also asked to compare this series loss to India's brilliant 5-1 win here in 2018 led by spin-twin Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
He acknowledged that the spinners this time around - Ravichandran Ashwin and Chahal - could have "done a bit better". But he was quick to add that the lack of exposure to ODIs played an important factor behind India's two losses.
Pant concluded by saying:
"It's possible because I din't play that series and I don't remember much about it... As a spinning unit we could have done a bit better but we have to see we are playing a One-Day after a long time and that's also a factor because we are just coming out of Test matches and there's a difference in the tempo. Maybe we fell behind a bit in that."
Notably, before this series, both teams played their last completed ODIs almost at the same time last year. While Sri Lanka beat India in Colombo on July 23, the Proteas defeated Ireland in Dublin on July 16. Nevertheless, the visitors will play for pride in the inconsequential third match on Sunday.