Chasing 297, Team India looked to be in a great position until the 25th over of the second innings, with Shikhar Dhawan(79) and Virat Kohli(51) looking in sublime touch. Duo’s departure in quick succession opened the flood gates for the South African bowlers. Inexperienced Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Venkatesh Iyer failed to utilize the opportunity and soon perished, leaving the visitors in a heap of trouble.
Shardul Thakur fought valiantly in the end, but the asking rate went beyond his reach as there was no support from the other end. Fans were extremely disappointed to witness the abysmal batting performance of the middle-order and expressed the same on Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
There was so much to learn from today’s game: KL Rahul
Team India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul revealed that his side learned a lot from today’s loss.
Speaking at the post-match presentations after the game, KL Rahul reflected on India’s batting performance and pointed out that middle-order collapse was the major reason for their defeat. Rahul said:
He added:
The Men in Blue will now face the Proteas team in the second ODI of the three-match series on Friday at the same venue.
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