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"Batted a little deeper": Suryakumar admits India rely too much on Abhishek for runs

Rajgeeta Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma [Source: AFP]Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma [Source: AFP]

India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav spoke honestly after the team’s 51-run loss to South Africa in the second T20I in Mullanpur on Thursday. He accepted responsibility for the defeat and shared his thoughts on the team’s batting struggles, especially the form of opener Shubman Gill. 

Suryakumar Yadav takes blame for loss

The captain explained that the team has been depending heavily on Abhishek Sharma for early runs, although no player can deliver in every match. 

"I think myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can't rely on Abhishek all the time. The way he's been batting, he might have an off-day. Me, Shubman and few other batters should have taken it. I think it would have been a smart chase. But then it's okay, Shubman got out on the first ball. But yeah, I should have taken that responsibility, batted a little deeper. But yeah, as I said, we learn, we try and do better in the next game to come,"  Indian captain said. 

He also spoke about Axar Patel’s role. The team had watched Axar bat well in longer formats, so they hoped he could repeat that approach in the T20I.

"We just thought in the last game, we have seen Axar bat really well in the longer format. And we wanted him to bat back the same way today as well. But unfortunately, (it didn't work) he did bat well. But we will see what's up for us going on in the next game," Suryakumar added.

The match itself had several turning points. India chose to bowl first. South Africa’s Quinton de Kock played a stunning knock of 90 from 46 balls, hitting cleanly across the ground. A late flourish from Ferreira and Miller pushed South Africa to a strong total of 213/4. Varun Chakravarthy claimed two wickets and stood out among India’s bowlers. Other bowlers struggled to contain runs, giving the visitors momentum.

India’s chase started with early setbacks, as the team slipped to 32/3. Tilak Varma tried to hold the innings together with an impressive 62 off 33 balls. Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma added useful runs, offering brief hope. 

The target remained out of reach, as India finished on 162 in 19.1 overs. South African pacer Ottneil Baartman delivered a match-winning spell, taking four wickets and keeping India under constant pressure.