Veteran Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan has explained why debutant all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer didn’t bowl in the 1st ODI against South Africa at Boland Park on Wednesday. Bowling first, the visitors conceded 296 which was enough for the Proteas to seal a victory.
After an underwhelming start, the Proteas consolidated riding on a record 204-run partnership between Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen. The middle-overs proved costly for the Indians, who looked nowhere close to breaking the partnership.
Shardul Thakur had an off day in the business with the ball, giving away 7.2 runs per over while the spin of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal could muster only one wicket between them.
The spotlight was on KL Rahul, who didn’t use all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer with the ball. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Shikhar Dhawan has thrown light on the same.
“We didn’t need him because the spinners did well and there was some turn in the wicket. Fast bowlers were mostly used at the end. In the middle-overs when the wicket was not falling, our thinking was to bring back the main bowlers to get the breakthrough but we couldn’t do that. Then, in the end, it was important to bring our main bowlers, like our spinners,” Dhawan said.
On the other hand, South Africa deployed six bowlers, including part-time spinner Aiden Markram which paid dividends. As a result, India fell 31 runs short to go 0-1 down in the three-match ODIs.
Should always put your team first – Shikhar Dhawan on advice to youngsters
When asked about his advice to the young middle-order batters, Shikhar Dhawan said he talks about how they can mould themselves according to the team’s needs and play according to the situation.
“That you need to play according to the demands of the situation, should always put the team first, that your individual game is important but at the same time practicality and knowing how much you can mold your game for the team [is also important]. Like if the team needs a partnership, then you should build one and those kind of things. And I feel that it will all get refined with time and experience,” Dhawan added.
The second ODI will be played at the same ground and at the same time (2:00 pm IST) on January 21 (Friday).
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