IND vs SA: We Could Have Bowled Better, Hope We Improve – Rishabh Pant After 4-Wicket Defeat In 2nd T20I At The Barabati Stadium

Rishabh Pant-led India National Cricket Team lost by 4 wickets against Temba Bavuma-led South Africa National Cricket Team in the second T20I of the five-match T20I series at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on Sunday, June 12.

Losing the toss and batting first, India were able to post 148/6 on the board. Batters Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya failed to play good innings but Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Dinesh Karthik played good knocks. Iyer top-scored for the side as he scored 40 runs off 35 balls, including 2 fours and 2 sixes.

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While defending the target, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius and Rassie van der Dussen for low scores inside the powerplay.

After that, Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen had a 64-run partnership in middle-overs and in the end, Heinrich Klaasen played a sensational knock of 81 runs off 46 balls, including 7 four and 5 sixes, and David Miller scored 20 runs to help South Africa win the match and get a 2-0 lead in the series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the top performer for India as he gave away just 13 runs in his 4-over quota and bagged 4 wickets. However, other bowlers failed to provide any support to Bhuvneshwar, which resulted in India’s defeat.

We were 10-15 runs short – Rishabh Pant

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Rishabh Pant said that they were 10-15 runs short. He added that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and other pacers bowled brilliantly in the first 7-8 overs but after that, the bowlers failed miserably. He said:

“We were 10-15 runs short. Bhuvi and the fast bowlers bowled well in the first 7-8 overs. But after that we weren’t up to the mark. In the second half we needed wickets, but we couldn’t get those wickets.”

Rishabh Pant further lauded Heinrich Klaasen and Temba Bavuma for batting well on a tricky surface. He was also hopeful of improvements in bowling in the next game. He said:

“They (Klaasen and Bavuma) actually batted really well. We could have bowled better, hope we improve in the next game. We need to win all the remaining three games now.”

Also Read: IND vs SA: Watch – Rishabh Pant Holes Out In Deep In Trying To Go After Keshav Maharaj

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