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Team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that the hosts had a poor day with the ball in the second T20I against South Africa. He opined that the bowlers gave up too early and allowed the Proteas batters to dominate.
South Africa thumped India by 51 runs in the second T20I at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday, December 11. Bowling first after winning the toss, India conceded 213-4 as Quinton de Kock slammed 90 off 46. In the chase, the hosts were held to 162 in 19.1 overs as the Proteas leveled the five-match series.
Speaking at the post-game press conference, Ten Doeschate was critical of the bowlers for failing to stick to their plans. He commented:
“The bowlers had a poor night. We blinked a little bit early tonight. It was 10.1, Quinton hit that first ball after the break for six. We went away from our plans too quickly. We don’t mind guys trying, but you’ve got your plans and how you are executing the plans. We probably missed on both of those tonight, which is something we want to avoid.”
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh had a forgettable day in the office. He registered figures of 0-54 from four overs and bowled nine wides, seven of them coming in one over. Jasprit Bumrah was also off color as he conceded 45 runs without picking a wicket in four overs. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube also went for runs even as Varun Chakaravarthy stood out with 2-29 from his four overs.
“We’ve found ourselves being 35-3” – India coach explains move to promote Axar Patel to No. 3
India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck in their chase of 214. In a move that puzzled many, the hosts promoted Axar Patel to No. 3 ahead of skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The all-rounder struggled and was dismissed for a run-a-ball 21. Explaining Axar’s promotion, Ten Doeschate attributed the move to trying out certain combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup. The 45-year-old said:
“We are trying things combination wise. We’ve got 8-9 games before the World Cup. We’ve found ourselves being 35-3 more times that we would have liked in the last couple of months. It’s just an exploration into how we can extend the batting – the link between the openers and the guys who want to come in and smash it around when things get a little easier.”
Tilak Varma top-scored for India in the chase, smashing 62 off 34 balls, while keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma hit 27 off 17. For the Proteas, Ottneil Baartman stood out with figures of 4-24.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert
