Sunil Gavaskar criticized India after losing to South Africa in 2nd T20I loss
The Indian bowlers were unable to produce anything remarkable in the second T20I at Cuttack on Sunday, only a few days after failing to defend a large total of 211 against South Africa in the first T20I. India lost their second consecutive match, down 0–2 in the five-match series, after failing to defend a total of 148.
Other Indian bowlers, with the exception of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with 4–0–13–4, we’re unable to take consistent wickets. Senior players including Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel came at a high price.
Sunil Gavaskar, a former India captain, was unimpressed with the Indian bowling performance.
After the match, Sunil Gavaskar stated on Star Sports, “The major problem is the fact that they don’t have wicket-taking bowlers in this squad apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. So, you take wickets and then you get the opposition under pressure.
So, in both the matches, did anybody look like getting a wicket apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar? He was getting the ball to move. That is the issue which is the reason why a total of 211 was something that they could not defend,”
In the contest, comeback man Heinrich Klaasen, like Rassie Van van Dussen, emerged as an unlikely hero, scoring a career-best 81 as South Africa defeated India by four wickets on Sunday.
Klaasen made it seem deceptively simple in his 46-ball knock, smashing seven fours and five huge sixes to help his team chase down a target of 149 with 10 balls to spare on a two-paced track where other batters struggled.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who came in as a late replacement for injured Quinton de Kock, hit his fourth T20I fifty in 32 balls before slamming three sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal to effectively end the pursuit.
Looking for a six, he was bowled by Harshal Patel, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Wayne Parnell in the following over to complete with a brilliant 4–0–13–4.
But it wasn’t enough; they just needed three runs from the final two overs, and David Miller (20 not out) clinched the victory, giving the Proteas a 2–0 lead heading into the Vizag T20I on June 14.
The tourists are attempting to win their first bilateral T20 series in India.
After Bhuvneshwar pegged them back to 29/3 inside the powerplay overs, Klaasen never took his foot off the gas and hauled his team out of the woods after a seven-month absence.
