Guwahati: Rohit Sharma admitted that the results of T20 matches mostly come during the death overs and the Indian captain wants his teammates to execute the plans better. However, he is not too worried about his team’s consistent struggle at the crucial stage of the match. After being invited to bat, India posted a mammoth total of 237 for three against South Africa in the second T20I on Sunday.
The visiting team did not give up till the end but India eventually won the first T20I series at home against South Africa with a 16-run victory. Rohit said after the match, “The team wants to bat and bowl a certain way and we want to give them that confidence. Yes, we haven’t bowled well in the death overs in the last five or six matches. We are doing the same with the opposition team.”
“It is very difficult to bowl and bat in the death overs. This is where the game decides. It’s nothing to worry about but we have to improve and play unitedly.” India’s top four batsmen once again performed brilliantly and Rohit said that they would like to continue with their ultra-aggressive approach. Rohit said, “I have seen in the last eight to 10 months that players are taking responsibility from the front and working for the team. Players who haven’t had much experience have also done the same thing.”
Frustrated by the defeat, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma blamed his bowlers. “It was not our best performance, the circumstances were different. We could not carry out our plans. I think we could have challenged 220 but 240 (237 runs) was too much.” For South Africa, David Miller showed his ability to play big shots by scoring an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls with the help of eight fours and seven sixes.
The South African captain said, “Miller was looking good, his performance will give a lot of confidence. The conditions were tough, we tried to swing the ball in the beginning. But when the ball didn’t swing, we saw how easy the batting was.” The third and final T20 International match between the two teams will be played in Indore on October 4. (agency)