KL Rahul came out strongly in support of India’s bowlers after they were unable to defend a massive 359 against South Africa, eventually going down by four wickets in the second ODI in Raipur on Wednesday. While the stand-in skipper acknowledged that there are areas India must improve, he also highlighted several factors that made the defence significantly tougher—most notably the heavy dew, which made gripping and controlling the ball highly challenging to the bowlers.
Adding to India’s concerns was an unusual but frustrating statistic: losing a record 20th consecutive toss in ODIs. Rahul, with a hint of humour, took the blame upon himself, admitting he was “kicking” himself for failing to win the toss again.
With South Africa expectedly choosing to bowl first for the second time in the three-match series, the visitors were perfectly positioned to exploit the dew in the latter half of the game.
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Responding to whether the defeat was tough to digest, KL Rahul said, “Not really, considering how much dew there is and how difficult it becomes to bowl in the second innings. In the previous game, we still managed quite well despite the bowlers struggling with the wet ball. The umpires helped by changing the ball a few times, but the toss plays a huge part in games like these.”
India’s batting had delivered impressively, riding on brilliant centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad. But Rahul felt that even a total as imposing as 359 needed an additional 20–25 runs to give the bowlers any realistic cushion under such slippery conditions.
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“There are always things we can tighten up,” KL Rahul added. “Even though 350-plus looks strong, our dressing-room discussion has been about finding those extra 20–25 runs so the bowlers have some breathing space. The bowlers are giving everything, but yes, there’s room to improve. We also conceded a few soft runs in the field. If we sharpen all three departments, those crucial extra runs will eventually go our way.”
