New Delhi, African captain Keshav Maharaj said that he did not expect that the mist would make such a difference. “We didn’t expect the mist to play such a big role, so we chose to bat after winning the toss. But credit goes to Shreyas and Sanju.
Indian captain Shikhar Dhawan credited the team’s all-round performance for their 7-wicket victory over South Africa. Chasing South Africa’s target of 279 runs, India easily won the three-match series 1-1 thanks to a century from Shreyas Iyer (113 not out) and a 161-run third-wicket partnership with Ishan Kishan (93).
Captain Dhawan said after the match that he was happy that opposition captain Keshav Maharaj had won the toss and elected to bat first. He said, the toss went well, I am happy. Kudos to Keshav for deciding to bat. I must say, the way Ishaan and Shreyas formed a partnership was something to behold. The ball was coming onto the bat well but staying down, the captain said.
So our plan was to take an aggressive approach against the bowlers in the first 10 overs, but as the mist started, the ball slipped. So it became easier to play on the backfoot. I am very happy with the bowlers, especially Shahbaz. The way he bowled in the first 10 overs and gave us success.
Earlier, Mohammad Siraj (3 wickets for 38 runs), Shahbaz Ahmed (one wicket for 54 runs), Kuldeep Yadav (one wicket for 49 runs) impressed in the bowling. African captain Keshav Maharaj said he did not expect the mist to make such a difference.
“We didn’t expect the mist to play such a big role, so we chose to bat after winning the toss. But credit goes to Shreyas and Sanju.
We expected this pitch to be slow and low but after 20 overs the pitch got better. Iyer was adjudged Man of the Match for his unbeaten century. He said, “To be honest, I am happy. I spoke to Ishaan when I went to bat and he was playing with an aggressive mindset against the bowlers. So we decided to play ball on merit”.SS1MS