IND vs SA: Shikhar Dhawan Reveals Why Venkatesh Iyer Didn't Bowl In The 1st ODI

Shikhar Dhawan explained the reason why India lost the first ODI against South Africa in Paarl. Valiant fifties from him (79) Virat Kohli (51) and Shardul Thakur (50*) were not enough to help India chase down 297 to win as they fell short by 31 runs. India ended on 265/8 in their 50 overs to lose the first ODI by a big margin.

Addressing the post-match press conference, the southpaw revealed that losing wickets regularly denied India from winning the game in Paarl.

“We advise the young guys to play according to the situation and one must keep the team ahead. Partnerships are important and I am sure the guys will keep learning with experience” said Dhawan in the post-match presser.

“When you are chasing 300 and you are coming in, you cannot go after the ball, its not that easy. When we lost wickets in a cluster, it impacted us in the game. I just thought playing to the merit of the ball. It was not a typical South African wicket. When I got the flow, I looked to carry on” added the southpaw.

Dhawan also revealed the reason why Venkatesh Iyer did not bowl in the first ODI. Venkatesh made his ODI debut in this game and scored just two off seven balls coming into bat at number six.

We Didn’t Need Him Because Spinners Did Well And There Was Turn On The Wicket: Shikhar Dhawan On Venkatesh Iyer Not Bowling

Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan explained during the post-match press conference why all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer didn’t bowl a single delivery in the first ODI despite being backed by captain KL Rahul as the sixth bowling option.

“We didn’t need him because the spinners did well and there was some turn in the wicket. Fast bowlers were mostly used at the end. In the middle-overs when the wicket was not falling, our thinking was to bring back the main bowlers to get the breakthrough but we couldn’t do that. Then, in the end, it was important to bring our main bowlers, like our spinners” said Dhawan on Iyer.

Both teams face off each other in the second ODI on January 21 with just a day’s turnaround. India needs to win the second game to stay alive in the series.

Also Read: IND vs SA: “We Played Close To A Perfect Game” – Temba Bavuma After South Africa’s Win In 1st ODI