“I'm kicking myself” - Stand-in captain KL Rahul opens up on the reason behind India’s defeat in 2nd ODI vs SA

Team India's stand-in ODI captain, KL Rahul, has opened up on the four-wicket defeat to South Africa in the high-scoring second ODI of the three-match series on Wednesday, December 3, in Raipur. 

Speaking in the post-match presentation ceremony, Rahul has reckoned that the toss played an important role as the dew factor turned the game’s complexion in the second innings, making life tough for the Indian bowlers. 

"Not really a tough one to swallow, given how much dew there is and how difficult it is to bowl in the second innings," Rahul said at the post-match presentation.

"Thought we did well in the last game. Today, the umpires were nice enough to change the ball. Toss plays a big role, so I'm kicking myself (laughs),” he added.

"With the bat, I know that 350 looks good, but that has been the chat in the dressing room even after the last game-about how we can get the extra 20-25 runs to give bowlers a cushion with the wet ball," he emphasised.

Furthermore, the Indian skipper also heaped praise on the No.3 and No.4 batters, Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored exceptional centuries in the middle overs, stitching a 195-run stand for the third wicket. Eventually, India posted 358/5 in 50 overs.

"It was beautiful to watch Rutu and the way he batted. Virat-we have seen him do it 55 times, or 53. He just goes about doing his job. It was beautiful watching Rutu bat, the way he picked up the tempo after reaching his fifty,” he stated.

However, India failed to defend the target as South Africa finished off the game in 49.2 overs with four wickets in hand. Opening batter Aiden Markram was the star of the show, scoring an exceptional century as the series stands at 1-1 with the third ODI scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 6, in Visakhapatnam.

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