“Removing him really opened the door for us” - KL Rahul discloses the game-changing moment in the third ODI vs South Africa

Indian ODI stand-in captain KL Rahul has hailed the Indian bowlers Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav for changing the game’s complexion in the series-deciding ODI in Visakhapatnam.

Speaking in the post-match presentation ceremony, the Indian stand-in skipper stated that his bowlers managed to do well in the middle overs, adding that picking up Quinton de Kock’s wicket had opened the game for the hosts. 

“With teams like South Africa who go really hard, it can easily become a 380-400 game, or they can end up playing one shot too many. We managed to squeeze well in the middle overs – Prasidh Krishna coming back with that spell and picking two or three was massive, and then Kuldeep getting two in one over really shifted the game,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“In ODI cricket, that’s the only real way to stop momentum, and you have to take wickets. Quinton de Kock was definitely a huge wicket. The way he was batting - when he got out, he was already past 100, and it showed how tough the wicket was for new batters coming in. Removing him at that stage really opened the door for us,” he added.

Additionally, Rahul also asserted that his players handled the pressure well throughout the three-match ODI series. Furthermore, he reckoned that the whole team believed in the processes and stuck with their plans.

“What makes me happiest about this series is how we handled pressure. In all three games, their batters walked in with intent and tried to put us on the back foot, but the way our bowlers kept their nerve and stuck to their plans was outstanding. One result didn’t go our way earlier, but we still believed in the processes, and today everything came together. So yeah, really pleased with the effort and happy things fell into place, including the toss,” he concluded.

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