The fourth T20I fixture between India and South Africa saw Dinesh Karthik and Avesh Khan as India's unlikely heroes as they registered a big 82-run victory in Rajkot on Friday, June 17. Their win was crucial as India lost the first two games of their five-match series, levelling the series 2-2.
In this series, Team India is being captained by Rishabh Pant. He has made a strong comeback with two wins after losing the first two matches, but their captain has lost his first three tosses as the captain of the Men in blue. Pant, who is captaining Team India for the first time in all formats, lost the toss for the fourth time in a row. Due to this, his name is added to a list that also includes former India captain Virat Kohli, who also lost his first four tosses as the T20I captain, and now Pant is hoping to turn the fortunes with an unusual change.
When captain Pant was asked about losing the toss, he gave a very interesting answer. Smiling after losing the toss, he said, "Till now the coin was tossed with the left hand. In the next match, I will try to toss the coin with the right hand."
Playing a must-win match was a test of his captaincy, and Pant spoke about his expectations of the team's performance, "We talked about playing well and following the plan, and in this match, we did the same. The team which plays well in the last match will win. Hardik batted well and then DK Bhai (Dinesh Karthik) opened fire with the first ball. I can make some changes in my game but I don't think too much. In Bengaluru, we will do our best and try to win the series."
Karthik's 55 runs, his first half-century almost 16 years after his T20I debut, helped India post a challenging score of 169 on what was a bowling track. In response, South Africa's team was bundled out for just 87 runs, with Avesh Khan scalping four wickets The fifth and final T20I will now act as the series decider and will be played in Bangalore on June 19.
