India's Suryakumar Yadav in action at the second T20 International - South Africa v India, St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, South Africa - December 12, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Gqeberha (South Africa): Captain Suryakumar Yadav emphasised on the need for Indian batters to use powerplay segment more effectively if the team wants to win the third T20I and level the series against South Africa.
Batting first at St. George’s Park, India were off to a meek start after losing openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal for zero as Proteas reduced visitors to 6 for two in two overs.
It was in stark contrast to South Africa’s start to their chase of a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, as the hosts scored 42 in just 2.5 overs.
"The message was loud and clear. They (SA openers) batted beautifully in the first five-six overs. That's the brand of cricket we were talking about. But we are really looking forward to the third T20I," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The dashing batter, who became fastest to reach 2000 T20I runs, said even though the total was par for the night, their bowlers struggled a bit to tame rain and dew.
"I think it was a par score. But it was a little tough [to bowl]. But I told my boys to be ready to be out of our comfort zone. But mood in the camp is always happy and full of cheer because I've said whatever happens on the ground, leave it on the ground," Yadav added.
South African captain Aiden Markram said the bowlers used the slow nature of the pitch in the initial part of the match, chaining the Indian batters to a good extent.
"I thought the wicket was initially on the slower side. From the batting point of view, it skidded on a bit. The rain helped us a little bit (while batting). But our bowlers tried hard and bowled incredibly well. They come up with their own plans,” Markram said.
Markram was quite happy to see opener Reeza Hendricks continuing his fine run in T20Is.
"Hendricks has been fantastic. He's adopted a bit of a leadership role in the batting." Markram said the form of Hendricks would add more depth to their search for identifying players for the next year’s T20 World Cup.
"Ultimately, you want to pick form players for the World Cup. So, from the selection point of view, there might still be a few places up for grabs. That healthy competition means a lot for us,” Markram added.
The left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi bagged the Player of the Match award for his parsimonious spell of two for 18 in four overs.
Shamsi was delighted to put in a good effort under pressure against a power-packed batting line-up like India.
Shamsi said, "It's about putting the balls in the right area and to be able to do it against India under pressure is particularly pleasing. And SKY's a wonderful player."
Shami has a word of praise for captain Markram and coach Rob Walter. "The changes Aiden Markram had on the field were brilliant. The positive thing has been that since Rob has come in, he has allowed us to bring our families. You can see that everyone's happy and trying to win games." he added.