INDORE: For the second time in succession, India's bowlers went for over 200 in the T20I series against South Africa, which concluded on Tuesday with the hosts suffering a 49-run defeat in the third T20I at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here. As has been the trend in their last few T20I outings, India conceded 73 in the last 5 overs as the Proteas totalled 227-3 in 20 overs.
Even as he acknowledged that his team needed to "improve, get better" and "execute our plans better" in the death overs going into the T20 World Cup in Australia, India head coach Rahul Dravid defended his bowlers' poor show in the final overs, saying that "it's not been easy bowling in the death on very flat wickets" during the home T20I series against Australia and South Africa.
Defending his under-fire bowlers, particularly seamers, Dravid pointed out that it hadn't been easy for the rival team's bowlers either to stop runs on batting beauties. "Obviously, you keep trying to get better in all the departments (of the game). Certainly bowling in the death…you know to be fair it's been very flat wickets, it's not been easy bowling at the death, but only for our team, but the other team (too). Australia and South Africa are sides which have a lot of experience in their bowling attacks, and they've struggled in the death as well. So it's not only us," Dravid said in the post-match presser on Tuesday.
"But yes, I don't think we've to look at them, we've to look at ourselves. We've to look at how we can improve and how we can get better. That's an area where we'd certainly like to improve and get better. Because we know that as you play these big tournaments, margins can be really small, and every run, boundary can matter. If we can cut them at any stage in the game, that's certainly going to make a difference," Dravid said.
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Later, while answering a question on the poor form of medium-pacer Harshal Patel, Dravid stressed on the need for his bowlers to execute the team's plans better. "Sure, he's not the only one. Overall, in the death (overs), all told, we need to get better, improve, execute better. Sometimes, it's not about the plans. Sometimes, we've got some smart plans and strategies, but a lot of it comes down to that execution. The ability to deliver that yorker, or the slower one, or hit the wide line, or whatever it may be. So, I won't single him out individually. As a group, we need to do better," Dravid said.
The India coach wasn't perturbed by Harshal's worrying inability to contain runs or take wickets after returning from an injury which kept him out of the Asia Cup. The Haryana man took just one wicket in three games against Australia, while giving away 99 runs in 8 overs. Against South Africa, he started off well, taking 2-26, before conceding 89 runs in 8 overs and failing to take a wicket in the last 2 games.
"I wouldn't say it's a concern. I've answered this question earlier as well. He has been someone who has bowled well in the last couple of years. He's coming back from a month and a half off from the game. And coming back into some really tough conditions. Not the easiest of bowling conditions to walk into after you haven't played for 6 weeks. We really back him. We know that he's got the quality and ability," Dravid said.
For all the hammering that his bowlers, particularly seamers, have received since the Asia Cup, Dravid reposed their faith in them. "We certainly have confidence in the boys. I mean when you look at the kind of group that we'll take to Australia, all of them have done well, and done well in the death as well. It's just a question of us getting it all together and just hopefully executing them, come Australia," he said.