South African captain Temba Bavuma said that there is no panic in their dressing room after the loss against India in the third T20I.
The visitors were leading the series by 2-0 and were expected to take the unassailable lead in the series on Tuesday by winning the third game. However, their hopes were crushed by the Indian team who were desperate to make a statement.
Having lost all their games against the Proteas this year so far, India finally managed to get a win under their belt. The South African batting line-up were left bamboozled by the Indian bowling attack as they fell 48 runs short of chasing a target of 180.
Commenting on the loss, the South African captain said “When the team loses there’s a lot of areas we can point out. We know we have to play well, and that’s what we did in the first two games. Today (India) were a much better side.”
“I don’t think you guys were thinking we were going to come here and win the series 5-0 just because all the big-name players aren’t here. That’s a good Indian team. I’d be foolish to change our approach after one loss. There are no panic stations,” added Bavuma, during a post-match conference after the game on Tuesday.
With two more games to go, South Africa will look to win the next game at Rajkot and clinch the series. On the other hand, India will look to continue their winning momentum and level the series 2-2 which will make the fifth T20I on the 19th even more interesting.
It’s interesting to note that India have lost only two T20I series at home since 2015. One of those losses came against South Africa in 2015, and the other against Australia in 2019. Rishabh Pant and his men will be keen to add on to this stellar home record of the ‘men in blue.’ However, the Bavuma-led side are expected to come stronger in the upcoming game.
