KL Rahul blames lack of wickets in middle-overs, middle-order collapse for loss

India skipper KL Rahul blamed lack of wickets within the center overs and below-par present by the center order batters for the group’s 31-run defeat towards South Africa within the ODI series-opener right here on Wednesday.
Resolute batting from residence skipper Temba Bavuma (110) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out) took South Africa to a match-winning 296 for 4 as Indian bowlers struggled to take wickets.
“It was a nice game. There’s so much to learn. We started off really well, 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,” Rahul stated on the post-match presentation ceremony.

That’s that from the first ODI.
South Africa win by 31 runs.
Scorecard – https://t.co/PJ4gV8SFQb #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/NrRNxZgMNK
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 19, 2022
When India chased, Rahul himself, Rishabh Pant (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and Venkatesh Iyer (2) couldn’t contribute a lot.
“The middle-order couldn’t get going. We were on par for the first 20-25 overs of the game. I thought we would chase it down easily but SA bowled really well and got crucial wickets,” stated Rahul.

FIFTY!
A well-made half century for @imVkohli off 60 deliveries.
His 63rd in ODIs.
Live – https://t.co/PJ4gV8SFQb #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/jqym5a8saV
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 19, 2022
Asked to touch upon wicket, the India captain stated,”I didn’t bat after the twentieth over, I don’t know if it modified drastically. Virat and Shikhar instructed that it was wicket to bat on, you simply needed to spend a while within the center, sadly we couldn’t get the partnership going.”
“They (South Africa) did really well, they put pressure on the bowlers and we couldn’t get those wickets in the middle. 290+ was 20 runs extra, but we just needed more partnerships in the middle.”
Rahul additionally stated that they haven’t performed one-day cricket for some time however they’ve 2023 World Cup in thoughts.
“We want to get the best XI on the park. We’ll make mistakes but we’ll learn from them,” he stated in reference to the World Cup.

RAMPAGING RASSIE👏
Rassie van der Dussen follows his captain’s lead and rockets to a half-century off 83 balls💪 #SAvIND #BetwayODISeries #BePartOfIt | @Betway_India pic.twitter.com/HR8PJRcumh
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 19, 2022
Meanwhile, residence captain Bavuma stated they performed “close to a perfect game.”
“That’s quite hard in 50-over cricket. We can take a lot of confidence. I struggled throughout the innings, Rassie seemed like batting on another wicket. That partnership was the decider,” he stated.

BRILLIANT BAVUMA👏
The #Proteas captain goes to his second ODI century with a effectively crafted innings at Boland Park🔥 #SAvIND #BetwayODISeries #BePartOfIt | @Betway_India pic.twitter.com/Rk7s8Bvsty
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 19, 2022
Talking extra about his partnership with van der Dussen, he stated, “I tried to partner him as much as I could.”

He was additionally all reward for pacer Marco Jansen, who didn’t take a wicket however impressed.
“Another good debut for him (Jansen), we feel he can take wickets with the new ball. He’s growing from strength to strength and it’s nice to see. Aiden is always an option with the ball, especially with the new ball. He’s been doing a fantastic job.”