IND vs SA | 'I am sure he will improve' - Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Rishabh Pant's captaincy

Rishabh Pant had a forgettable outing in his first game as India's captain as the Men in Blue failed to defend a massive total of 211 in the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa in Delhi on Thursday. Although the dynamic southpaw hammered a crucial 16-ball-29 with the bat, some of his on-field calls received severe backlash. 

However, the experienced Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has backed Rishabh Pant to gradually improve his leadership skills. In the pre-match press conference held ahead of the second T20I at Cuttack, Bhuvneshwar opined that Pant shouldn't be judged as a captain as it was his first match as the Indian skipper. The Meerut-born pacer also expected the keeper-batter from Delhi to evolve as a leader with the progression of the series. 

"He's a young captain and it was his first match. I'm sure he will try to do better and improve as the series progresses", Bhuvneshwar said. 

Continuing, Bhuvneshwar stressed that the ordinary performance by the bowling unit let the Indian captain down, and he also expected better returns from the bowlers in the second T20I. He further argued that a captain is as good as his team, and people would've applauded his captaincy skills had the Indian bowlers succeeded in defending the total. 

"Generally, the captain is as good as the team and it's a team effort. Our bowling did not go off well and let him down. If we did well, then you would have hailed his decision-making skills. I'm sure he will do well. As a bowling unit, we had an off day but that's okay we just want to come back in the next match", the 32-year-old concluded. 

With a clinical victory in the first game, the visitors are high on confidence and would like to continue their winning run. But, on the other hand, India will certainly aim at levelling the series by emerging victorious in the second T20I to be played tonight in Cuttack.