"We didn't bowl to plan" - Rishabh Pant laments lack of execution after 2nd defeat vs SA
India skipper Rishabh Pant shared his thoughts after they succumbed to a second consecutive defeat on Sunday against South Africa at the Barabati Stadium. He lamented that bowlers failed to live up to expectations in the last few overs of the game.
Defending 148 runs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave the hosts a perfect start. He single-handedly reduced the Proteas to 29/3 in 5.3 overs. However, Heinrich Klaasen's career-best 81 gave the visiting side a much-needed 2-0 lead in the series.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rishabh Pant stated that they were a few runs short at the end of the first half innings.
The 24-year-old said:
"Batting wise, we were probably 10-15 short. But the way we started bowling - Bhuvi and the fast bowlers bowled really well. We fell short in the second half - we didn't bowl to plan and it got away."
Pant added:
"After the 10th over we needed wickets in the middle which we didn't get and they batted really well."
Heinrich Klaasen won the “Man of the Match” for his fabulous knock 💯
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Klassen, who came into the side in the absence of Quinton de Kock, made the most of the opportunity. He targeted Yuzvendra Chahal and took him to the cleaners.
Klaasen and Temba Bavuma added 64 runs for the fourth wicket to steady the ship before the former pressed gear. By the time Klaasen got out, South Africa needed only five runs to win. David Miller, who was the player of the match in the last game, saw the team through with 10 balls to spare.
"We'll look to win the last three matches" - Rishabh Pant
With the series on the line, India will have to win all their remaining games to win the five-match series. They had already lost the first match of the series by seven wickets in Delhi on June 9.
Rishabh Pant asserted that they will look to get better from here and win all three matches.
The southpaw added:
"We could have done better but we'll look to do better next time. We'll look to win the last three matches."
Team India have lost 7 consecutive games against South Africa in this year.
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So far, India have lost seven matches against South Africa in 2022 across formats. The Men in Blue will hope to bounce back in their next game when they lock horns against South Africa on June 14 in Visakhapatnam.