KL Rahul Highlights Toss and Dew as Game-Changing Factors After Raipur Defeat

South Africa defeated India in stunning fashion by chasing a massive total of 358 in the 2nd ODI. Led by Aiden Markram’s brilliant batting, South Africa cruised to victory in the final over, losing just six wickets. The Indian bowlers looked helpless against the South African onslaught, as they were hit all over the park throughout the second innings.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Indian stand-in captain KL Rahul highlighted the toss as the deciding factor of the match. He also said that dew plays a big role in the second innings, giving batters an additional advantage to play their shots easily.

When asked whether accepting the defeat was a tough pill to swallow, Rahul said that, considering the ground conditions, it was easy to understand why South Africa gained the upper hand.

"Not really, considering everything - how much dew there is and how difficult it is to bowl in the second innings.” said KL Rahul at the post-match press conference.

“The last game, we did really well, considering everything. All the difficulties for bowlers bowling with a wet ball, and the umpires have been nice enough to change the ball a few times, but still I think toss plays a huge part. So I'm kicking myself about losing two tosses in a row. It's obviously making a huge difference." added KL Rahul.

When India scored 358 in the first innings, it looked more than enough to win the 2nd ODI at Raipur. However, the team knew in hindsight that South Africa’s power hitters can also chase this score, as batting in the second innings tends to become easier. It generally happens due to the incoming dew, which makes bowling with the wet ball very difficult.

"To reflect back there's always things that we could have done better. With the bat, I know that 350 looks good, but that's also been the chat in the dressing room even after the last game [about] how can we get that extra 20-25 runs, so that the bowlers find some cushion when they bowl with the wet ball.” said Indian stand-in captain, KL Rahul.

He then urged the bowlers to improve their line and length while playing against big teams. He also expressed regret over how India conceded several boundaries, giving South Africa plenty of free runs.

"Bowlers obviously are trying their heart out, but there are areas to improve. There are a few soft boundaries that we gave away, even in the field.” said KL Rahul.

“If we can tighten up all three aspects of the game and get a bit more sharper, then maybe those 20-25 runs will go our way and we'll be on the other side." added KL Rahul.

Applauding the Innings of Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad

The Indian captain then applauded the brilliance of Virat Kohli. He said watching Kohli bat with such command gives the team a lot of confidence. He then showered praise on young Ruturaj Gaikwad, who also scored his maiden century while playing alongside Kohli.

"It was beautiful to watch - Virat, the way he batted. Obviously, we have seen him do this for 53 times now. He goes on about doing his job, we're used to seeing it. Just to see the way Rutu batted was beautiful. [He] took on the spinners, hit his gaps. Once he got past that 50, the tempo that he batted with is I think what gave us that extra 20 runs." said KL Rahul.

Speaking about his own performance, Rahul said that he went into the middle to support the tempo of the innings. As a captain, he wanted to maintain a high scoring rate, so promoting himself in the batting order seemed like the right choice at the time.

"Today is the first time I've been slotted at No. 6 and I've walked in at 5. Otherwise, it's always a decision before the game. The way Rutu and Virat's partnership was going on, they set a good tempo. So GG [Gautam Gambhir, head coach] bhai and me felt like it would be the right time for me to walk in and keep that tempo going.” said KL Rahul.

“Obviously [I] got a fifty last game, so, there's a bit of confidence. Someone who's batted in the middle, someone who's high on confidence is probably the right person to go in and take on the bowling and keep that tempo going. That was the plan.” concluded KL Rahul.