Rishabh Pant Admits India Must Improve After Missed Opportunities in 2-0 Series Defeat

India suffered a massive series defeat against South Africa recently. They were comprehensively beaten in both matches due to South Africa’s outstanding brilliance. The home team also produced a very shaky performance in the field, dropping multiple catches in both games. This created additional pressure on them and left very few opportunities to challenge South Africa.

India’s stand-in captain, Rishabh Pant, also emphasized this point while speaking at the post-match press conference. He credited South Africa for playing better cricket and said that his side needs to improve further to compete with the top teams in test cricket.

"They South Africa definitely played better cricket, but at the same time, in cricket you can't take anything for granted. You can play at home or away, but at the same time, cricket demands that determination and that extra.” said Rishabh Pant at the post-match press conference.

He then defined how good teams utilize small moments to put pressure back on the opponents. From batting to balling, India didn’t create many chances and allowed South Africa to control the game for a longer period of time. He said India kept making these little mistakes throughout the series, which is why they lost both matches in the end.

"There are moments in the game where you need to capitalise on it as a team, as a batting unit. But as a team, we didn't capitalize on those enough for a longer period of time, and that cost us the whole series." said Rishabh Pant.

India Kept Making Similar Mistakes Throughout the Series

In the last test match, South Africa were once reeling at 246 for 6. India certainly missed the opportunity to wrap up the South African innings, as they let the game drift away by taking certain things casually. As a result, South Africa made a resounding comeback and posted 489 on the board at the end of the innings.

After that, the South African team showcased complete discipline in the bowling department. They consistently bowled attacking lengths, making batting difficult for the Indian team. As a result, India were bowled out for just 201 runs in the first innings, giving South Africa a significant lead. The visitors capitalized on this advantage and batted further to set a daunting target of 549 runs for India to win the match.

Eventually, India lost the match by a huge margin of 408 runs. With this defeat, they suffered another clean sweep in Tests, following last year’s series loss to New Zealand. These results have certainly raised concerns within the Indian camp, however, Rishabh Pant has emphasized the importance of not panicking at this stage.

He said the best way to overcome this situation is to focus on their mistakes while staying united. He also praised the dominance shown by the South African team, saying that their resilience deserves appreciation. He urged his team to learn from this series defeat, as much bigger challenges lie ahead.

"Definitely it's a little disappointing, but as a team we need to get better. And you've got to give credit to the opposition that they played better cricket than us. Because, in series like this, which has already been tough, if we dwell too much... you've got to take the learning and stick as a team." concluded Rishabh Pant.

India will now take on South Africa in a three-match ODI series starting from November 30. They are confident to win this series, as their star players, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will feature in those matches. However, it could also prove to be a tough contest for them, as South Africa will enter the series full of confidence. They could once again spring plenty of surprises, making it a thrilling series to watch.