India vs South Africa 2021-22, 1st ODI: KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan rue middle-order collapse as reason for loss
India faced off against South Africa in the opening ODI on Wednesday. The Men in Blue suffered a 31-run loss. KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan have blamed the middle-order collapse.
FollowOn Wednesday, it was a competitive opening One-Day International (ODI) between India and South Africa at Boland Park in Paarl. The visitors suffered a 31-run defeat to trail 0-1 in the three-match series. In the meantime, skipper KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan blamed the middle-order collapse as the primary reason for the loss.
"We had a good start, and I feel the wicket was slow. It was offering a bit of turn as well. So, when you chase 300 runs and when the middle-order comes to bat, it is not easy to play shots. Our wickets fell in a heap, and that had an impact on us as a batting unit," Dhawan was quoted as saying by PTI during the post-match press conference.
"We have to play according to the situation and what the situation demands, keep the team ahead, and an individual's game is important. But, at the same time, be practical, how can you mould your game, so that when a partnership is needed, then it is necessary, all those things and I feel these gets refined with experience and time," Dhawan added.
Dhawan also rued that skipper Rohit Sharma's absence was affecting the side. However, he assured that the middle-order would be at an advantage after Rohit's arrival since Rahul would be pushed down to the middle. "I feel that now we all have good clarity that we have got this bunch of group and those will be there and how can they be refined," he concluded.
While Rahul rued the middle-order, he also feels that the lack of wickets in the middle-overs during the South African innings also hurt the side. Skipper Temba Bavuma (110) and Rassie van der Dussen (129*) played fine knocks to post a challenging total on the board. "We couldn't get wickets in the middle. We'll look to see how we get wickets in the middle overs and stop the opposition," he reckoned post match.
"Virat and Shikhar told that it was a good wicket to bat on, (and) you just had to spend some time in the middle. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the partnership going. They did well, they put pressure on the bowlers, and we couldn't get those wickets in the middle. 290-plus was 20 runs extra, but we just needed more partnerships in the middle," Rahul concluded.
