Indian team under the leadership of KL Rahul would have wanted to win the ODI series and forget the heartbreaking memories of the 2-1 defeat in the three-match Test series but that did not happen in reality as the hosts won back-to-back two ODIs and successfully managed to clinch the ODI series as well.
In the first ODI of the series, Indian team lost the match by 31 runs and in the second match the hosts registered a convincing 7-wicket victory.
While talking about the defeat in the second match, skipper Rahul said that team India “are making mistakes” in the middle and team need to “learn from it and find a way."
Rahul's words
"I think South Africa is playing some really good cricket at home, we are making mistakes as well in the middle. It's good learning for us. We are a team that takes a lot of pride in winning, but good learning for us and hopefully we can grow. We are trying to get better at things we haven't done well in the past," Rahul said during the post-match presentation.
"Partnerships, middle-order becomes crucial when we are entering a big tournament, wanna get better at bowling in the middle overs and these are the few things which are really obvious and right in front of us. We have spoken about it and it's only up to us to get better, learn from it and find a way," the skipper added.
Good batting show
While talking about his team’s performance, Rahul felt the way opener Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli batted in the first ODI “was very good” but he did admit that the team “have come short in the first two games.”
"The way Shikhar and Virat batted in the first game was very good, and today Rishabh batted, the way he managed the first 20 balls, and then he took down the spinners.”
"Jasprit has been the standout bowler for us and Yuzi has been good today. The energy has been great, it's been tough on the body staying in the bubbles. We love challenges and we have come short in the first 2 games, we will look ahead to the third game and try and win that one," he explained.
