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Page 2 - India Vs South Africa

Surya admits he needed to bat deeper, says reliance on Abhishek not ideal

Abhishek Sharma can't win every game for India, said Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav while accepting that he and deputy Shubman Gill should have taken the onus of batting deeper during team's 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second T20I here on Thursday. Abhishek (17 off 8 balls) started well but Gill (0) and skipper Suryakumar (5) were dismissed within the powerplay as India folded for 162 in pursuit of a challenging target of 214 on a good batting track. "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," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "I think it would have been a smart chase. But then it's okay, Shubman got out on the first ball. But I should have taken that responsibility, batted a little deeper. But as I said we learn, we try and do better in the next game to come," Suryakumar didn't

Updated On : 12 Dec 2025 | 1:52 PM IST

Ten Doeschate urges Gill to forget pressure, play freely like in IPL

Shubman Gill has been a "bit too tight" since his T20 comeback as he has been trying to "justify" his place in the side but the Indian team management wants him to free up and play like he does in the IPL, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said. Gill was brought back into the T20 setup with the Asia Cup in September after he led India to two famous Test wins in the drawn five-match series in England. He replaced Sanju Samson at the top but runs have not flown from his bat, raising questions ahead of the T20 World Cup at home in February-March. After the loss in the second T20I against South Africa here on Thursday, ten Doeschate said Gill needed to loosen up a bit in the shortest format. "Taking on the captaincy the way he did in England and how well he led and how much pride he took in that performance, I think an element of that carried over into what he wanted to do in the T20 side," said the assistant coach in response to a PTI query after the 51-run loss that left the ...

Updated On : 12 Dec 2025 | 1:34 PM IST

Didn't know what I had until lost: Quinton reflects on retirement reversal

Quinton de Kock has got the hunger back to win games for South Africa, feels fitter than ever and is batting as if he never spent time away from international cricket. His sublime 90 off 46 balls in second T20 against India was a testament to the left-hander's renewed purpose in playing for the country again. In the age of power-hitting, de Kock relies on conventional strokeplay and makes batting look effortless. The 32-year-old had retired from ODIs post the 2023 World Cup and had not played the shortest format since the loss to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final until October. De Kock is now back playing white-ball cricket and says the time away from the game actually allowed him to realise what he was missing out on. "I think prior to my retirement, I was losing my hunger to win games for this team. That time away just brought back my hunger. I was telling the guys, I don't think I've ever felt this way," de Kock spoke in depth about his reasons for an international ...