Aakash Chopra believes that despite the Indian bowlers’ failure to defend a 240-run fourth-innings target, the batters let the team down.
Team India failed to cross the 300-run mark in both innings of the second Test against South Africa. While they were bowled out for 202 in the first innings after opting to bat first, they could have gone beyond the 266 they scored in the second essay.
Aakash Chopra: Undoubtedly India’s Batting Let The Team Down In The 2nd Test
While reflecting on India’s defeat in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted the shortcomings in the batting department. The Indian bowlers failed to defend 240 in the fourth innings as the home side romped home by seven wickets to level the three-match series.
He explained: “There is no doubt that batting let India down. If you talk about the first innings, you can see KL Rahul and after that only Ravichandran Ashwin. There were not too many runs in between.”
The former India cricketer believes a below-par first innings score put the visitors behind the eight ball.
Aakash Chopra observed: “If you score 202 runs when you opted to bat after winning the toss, you have lost the advantage. You won in Centurion because you were 270/3 after the first day. But if you score only 200, that’s never going to be enough.”
KL Rahul (50) and Ravichandran Ashwin (46) were the only Indian players to cross the 30-run mark in the first innings. The back-to-back dismissals of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane put India on the back foot after a decent start provided by KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
The under-fire duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane finally score much-needed fifties in the 2nd innings but their effort alongside Shardul Thakur’s 7 wicket haul in South Africa’s 1st innings failed to see India winning as they have to wait for the next Test to secure maiden Test series win in South African soil.
Aakash Chopra: India Could Have Given Proteas A Target Of 275-285 Runs As Rishabh Pant Throwing His Wicket Hurt India
Aakash Chopra added that Team India could have set a more challenging target for the Proteas. Dean Elgar played a captain’s knock scoring an unbeaten 96 to take the hosts to a 7-wicket win leveling the 3-match Test series 1-1.
He said: ” You conceded a small lead but after that, you were at a stage where you could have given the opposing team a target of 275 to 285 runs. But that also didn’t happen. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane – good runs, good innings but still.”
The reputed commentator concluded by saying that Rishabh Pant’s rush of blood will hurt even more after the loss.
Aakash Chopra elaborated: “Rishabh Pant’s shot is pinching even more because if he had stood there and scored 25 more runs, then this encounter might have gone in some other direction. This thing will always remain in our minds.”
Rishabh Pant danced down the track and played a rash shot off the third delivery he faced from Kagiso Rabada. He only managed to get an edge and was caught behind the wickets for a duck. Apart from his quick-fire 34 runs in the first Test, Rishabh Pant hasn’t contributed much with his bat for India in the ongoing series.
Rishabh Pant came to bat at a crucial moment on Day 3. The southpaw was convincingly beaten on the first two balls. Then, in an apparent attempt to put the pressure back on pacer Kagiso Rabada, he charged down the track and went cross-batted against a short ball. But Rishabh Pant only got a thick outside edge to the wicketkeeper.