‘Needed wickets in second half of the chase’: Rishabh Pant points out reason for loss in 2nd India-South Africa T20I – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

India suffered another defeat against South Africa during the second T20I of the five-match series in Cuttack. The Proteas chased down a target of 149 runs by 4 wickets and with more than an over to spare.

India’s stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant admitted that the hosts were short of 10-15 runs and further added that the side needed wickets in the second phase of the chase which didn’t really happen.

“We were 10-15 runs short. Bhuvi and the fast bowlers bowled well in the first 7-8 overs. But after that we weren’t up to the mark. In the second half we needed wickets, but we couldn’t get those wickets. They (Klaasen and Bavuma) actually batted really well. We could have bowled better, hope we improve in the next game. We need to win all the remaining three games now,” Pant said after the match.

Courtesy a late surge from Dinesh Karthik who scored 30* off 21, India managed to put 148/6 in 20 overs on the board. South Africa later lost some early wickets but Heinrich Klaasen’s 46-ball 81 helped the side to go over the line eventually.

The visitors now lead the series 2-0.

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