“Pitch had steep tennis-ball bounce” - Aiden Markram after South Africa’s 101-run defeat to India

South African T20I captain Aiden Markram has opened up on his team’s 101-run loss to India in the first T20I of the five-match series, played on Tuesday, December 9, at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Speaking in the post-match presentation ceremony, Markram was pleased with the way his bowlers lived up to the expectations. He also asserted that the pitch had a steep tennis-ball bounce, which was the reason they couldn’t have big partnerships from the batting point of view.

"I think there were some good signs with the ball and in the field. Nice to start the way we did. We put some emphasis on starting well, and that was a box we ticked, so we can be proud of that,” Aiden Markram said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“From a batting point of view, it's unfortunately something that can happen in this format. It is a pity that it had to happen in the first game, but you have to draw a line through it. It is a quick turnaround and we will give it another crack in a couple of days. I felt it (the pitch) was quite sticky. That steep tennis-ball bounce and a little bit there with the ball throughout the innings,” he added.

"But the biggest factor was obviously not being able to build partnerships, settling after losing wickets and getting some momentum on our side. So yeah, we’ll have brief conversations tomorrow. You don’t want to dive too deep into things like this. You almost just want to draw a line through it and stick to the positive ways of this format," he concluded.

While India posted a dominating 175/6 in 20 overs on a tough batting wicket, South Africa got bundled out for 74 runs in 12.3 overs, losing the game by 101 runs. The next game will be played in New Chandigarh on Thursday, December 11.

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