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Indian team were defeated by South Africa in the first ODI by 31 runs. The Indian ODI team under the leadership of KL Rahul would have wanted to come back in a convincing way after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the Test series against South Africa but unfortunately that did not happen.
But currently, on-field issues are not the only headlines in Indian cricket as a lot has been spoken about the captaincy saga that has taken place in Indian cricket. Recently, Virat Kohli decided to relinquish his Test captaincy as well.
Kaneria's claim
And now, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has opened up on this issue. In a controversial claim, Kaneria said that the “Indian dressing room was divided into two groups” and “Kohli and KL Rahul were sitting apart.”
“We saw during in the game that the Indian dressing room was divided into two groups. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were sitting apart. Also, Kohli wasn’t in the same mood as he used to be when he was the captain. But he’s a team man and will come back stronger,” said Kaneria on his official YouTube channel.
India's deefeat
In the first ODI of the series, batting first, Proteas scored a total of 296 for 4 wickets in 50 overs. Skipper Temba Bavuma scored a century (110 off 143 balls) and he was well supported by the Man of the Match Russie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96 balls).
In reply, India got a good start as opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 79 runs off 84 balls. Kohli also scored a half-century (51 off 63 balls). But a miserable performance from the Indian middle order batting saw team India lose five wickets within just 62 runs.
All-rounder Shardul Tahkur tried to manage the situation but his 50 runs off 43 deliveries eventually turned out to be inadequate as the hosts secured a 31-run victory in the first ODI.
In the second match of the series, slated to take place on January 21, skipper Rahul will have a lot to think about. Rahul will expect the middle order to contribute more with the bat in order to level the series.
