Virat Kohli dropped a catch in the T20 World Cup match vs South Africa© AFP
After a torrid show with the bat, with Suryakumar Yadav‘s 68 being the exception, India let themselves down in the field too against South Africa in Perth on Sunday. Defending a mediocre total of 133 runs, India displayed sloppy fielding and catching at the Optus Stadium in Perth, giving two lifelines to Aiden Markram, who went on to score a half-century and play pivotal role in the team’s triumph over India. While the pitch remained a tricky one to score runs on, it was the gulf in the fielding efforts of the two sides that turned out to be the difference.
It was Kohli who first dropped Markram’s rather straightforward catch on 35. Rohit then had the golden opportunity to correct Kohli’s mistakes but his throw missed the stumps from a short distance too. Markram was nowhere in the frame when Rohit threw the ball, and it looked like the India captain hurried his decision.
After Virat, Now Rohit Sharma miss the run-out #INDvsSA #RohitSharma #T20WorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/5w4NNROICr
— Atul Verma (@vermaji90) October 30, 2022
The twin lifelines saw Markram score 52 runs off 41 balls before he was eventually caught by Suryakumar Yadav on the bowling of Hardik Pandya.
After Markram’s departure, David Miller continued to keep South Africa in the game, scoring 59 off 46 to take the team home. The Proteas chased down the target with 2 balls to spare.
A victory over South Africa would’ve all but guaranteed India a spot in the semi-finals. But now, the Indian team needs to win its remaining two games against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to keep the equation in their own hands.
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