Indian captain Rohit Sharma opened up about the thrashing loss his side faced in the first Test against South Africa. He admitted that his team didn’t bat well in both the innings and they were not good enough to win.
India were at the receiving end of an innings and 32-run loss against South Africa in the Centurion Test. The numbers clearly showed that the visitors were not at all prepared and it was also evident with the kind of performance they put in with bat and ball.
With the bat in the first innings, they had a torrid outing as they were bundled out for just 245 runs. Only KL Rahul looked settled with the bat as he slammed a century whereas other batters couldn’t even cross the 40-run mark.
It was expected that India would do some wonders. But it wasn’t meant to be as bowlers leaked runs. Only Jasprit Bumrah looked good with the ball as he picked up four wickets. India’s poor performance saw South Africa posting 408 runs on the board and taking a lead of 163 runs.
In the second innings, India were bundled out for just 131 runs as the batters looked clueless. Only Virat Kohli (76) went past the 50-run mark rest all the batters couldn’t go past 30 runs. They suffered a disappointing an innings and 32-run loss to go 1-0 down in the series.
Rohit Sharma lauded KL Rahul for his performance in the first innings and admitted that they didn’t come together collectively. He also added that they didn’t understand the conditions well. Speaking after the game, he explained:
“We were not good enough to win. Having been put into bat, KL batted well to get us that score but then we didn’t exploit the conditions with the ball and then again didn’t show up today with the bat. If we have to win Test matches, we have to come together collectively and we didn’t do that.”
Rohit Sharma added that his team’s batters didn’t adapt to the challenges and added that they need to understand the opposition as well. He elaborated:
“Guys have come here before, we know what to expect and everyone has their own plan. Our batters were challenged and we didn’t adapt well. This is a boundary scoring ground, we saw them score many but we need to understand the opposition and their strengths as well.”
IND vs SA: We need to be ready for the next Test now – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma admitted that there aren’t any big positives for them but praised KL Rahul for showing the way to other batters as to how to bat in these conditions. He added:
“We didn’t bat well in both innnings, that’s why we stand here. Not too many positives to finish the game within 3 days, but KL showed what we need to do on this sort of pitch.”
Rohit Sharma added that it’s now important for them to regroup and be ready for the next game. He explained:
“Our bowlers, a lot of these guys haven’t been here before so I don’t want to be too critical. Important for us to regroup, we go through these times as sportsmen and we need to be ready for the next Test now.”
The second Test between India and South Africa will be played from 3rd January in Cape Town. Rohit Sharma would be hoping to make a strong comeback with bat as well as captain in the next game.
The post IND vs SA: “We Didn’t Bat Well” – Rohit Sharma Explains Reason Behind India’s Debacle In South Africa appeared first on CricketAddictor.
from CricketAddictor https://ift.tt/ynLCs9p
via IFTTT