Former cricketer and South Africa coach Mark Boucher has described the Indian tour as ‘draining’ as the Proteas lost both the T20I and ODI series 2-1. Boucher stated that such series are tough to win, especially in India, with their schedule being so hectic.
‘’It is tough to win a series here, the schedule has been hectic too. It has been a draining tour,’’ he said before their loss in the final ODI against India.
In the series-deciding third ODI played at Delhi, India won the toss and put South Africa to bat. The Proteas were bundled out for 99 runs in 27.1 overs with Kuldeep Yadav bagging four wickets, and Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Shahbaz Ahmed scalping two wickets each. In response, India chased down the paltry target in 19.1 overs with Shubhman Gill being the highest run scorer (49).
The ODI series loss pushes South Africa further down the race for automatic qualification for the next year’s ODI World Cup. However, in the words of Mark, South Africa is more focused on the T20 World Cup which is only days away in Australia.
“I think we are Okay at the moment. It is disappointing to lose, but we’ve got a massive competition around the corner, which is what we are really gearing ourselves up to,” said Boucher.
The 45-year-old coach parts ways with the Proteas as the series against India was his last bilateral series as the head coach.
He will bid farewell to his role with the South African team at the end of the T20 World Cup and will resume office as the coach for the marquee IPL team Mumbai Indians.
Boucher who was appointed as a coach in December 2019, quoted that fatigue has been the reason for the inconsistent performances of the Proteas on the India tour. In the six matches, the Proteas wavered between looking brilliant and poor.
‘’You can’t expect the players - especially with the schedule we’ve had - to be up for every single game. That is where you have to rely on your technical and mental side to pull you through,” said Boucher. “We’ve been a little bit weak in both those departments.
"Today especially I thought there were soft dismissals up front and then one or two technical things on a wicket that was quite uneven in its turn - one turned, one didn’t - and we were found out there. I allude back to keeping the players fresh so that the mental part of their game is right up there along with the technical side. I think then we can get the best results from these players,” he concluded.
