3 Mistakes India Need To Rectify To Win The 3rd T20I Against South Africa

India lost the 2nd T20I Vs SA [Source: @BCCI/X.Com] India lost the 2nd T20I Vs SA [Source: @BCCI/X.Com]

After a demolition job in the first T20I, the Indian side was brought back down by some resilient Proteas batting in the second game of the series. A contest which India should have won, was snatched away by South Africa at the last moment.

Batting first, India posted 124/6, as they struggled to attack the opposition bowlers. All the big names failed to deliver the goods as the Proteas ran riot. In reply, Varun Chakravarthy fought a lone battle and bagged a fifer to give India a ray of hope.

However, Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee kept their calm under pressure and snatched the victory in the second last over.

Ahead of the 3rd T20I, we look at the 3 mistakes which the Indian side needs to rectify to win the important clash.

3) Suryakumar needs to make better choices as leader

With the pitch assisting the spinners, Chakravarthy bagged a five-wicket haul and bowled a masterclass of a spell. However, the other spinner in the team, Axar Patel bowled just a solitary over and was not called upon to complete his quota.

In his only over, he conceded just 2 runs, but Suryakumar made a baffling decision of not bringing in Axar against the two right-handers who snatched the game away. As a batter, Surya is arguably one of the best, but as a captain, his decision making needs to be improved for India to beat the Proteas.

2) Improvement in slog overs bowling

At one stage, the Proteas had lost 7 quick wickets for just 86 and stared at a heavy defeat. However, the unlikely do of Coetzee and Stubbs played according to the situation and took their side past the winning line.

The home team were 7 down, and yet India failed to close out the game which reflects on their poor death bowling. The likes of Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh couldn't nail their yorkers and went for plenty. This needs to be rectified as another poor display in the third T20I will lead to another loss.

1) Batters need to take more responsibilities

In the first T20I, barring Sanju Samson, no one really stood out as India crumbled towards the fag end of their batting. The same situation came up in the second match, where almost everyone failed as Proteas ran riot.

Samson was dismissed for a duck, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and to some extend, Hardik Pandya, all failed to put up runs on the board. The first T2OI was won because of the brilliance of Samson and the bowlers, but it won't be repeated every time and the batters need to step up in the next game.