"Only plan was to take the game as deep as possible" - Rishabh Pant on partnership with KL Rahul

Team India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has stated that the thought process during the partnership with KL Rahul was to take the game as deep as possible. He lamented the fact that the stand could not carry on for a bit longer.

Pant and Rahul featured in a 115-run stand for the third wicket in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series against South Africa on Friday. India lost their way again after the partnership and ended up on 287 for 6. The Proteas eased to victory by seven wickets in the chase.

Speaking at the post-match conference following India’s loss, Pant stated that he and Rahul put on a good partnership. However, he conceded that it did not last long enough to take the team to a match-winning total. The 24-year-old said:

“The only plan we had was to build a partnership and take the game as deep as possible. I thought me and KL had a good partnership in the middle. If we could have carried on with that partnership for a little bit longer, we would have scored more than what we got today. From a partnership point of view, we batted well.”

While Pant top-scored with 85 off 71, Rahul contributed 55 off 79 after being let off thrice. Virat Kohli fell for a duck, while Shreyas Iyer (11) and Venkatesh Iyer (22) also perished cheaply.

Pant was seen constantly going down the track to bowlers during his aggressive knock. Asked about the reason behind it, the southpaw explained:

“There was no plan to attack as such or defend. I was stepping out to take singles. Wanted to unsettle the bowlers because the track was a slow one. It is easier to bat if one uses his feet. That is what I was trying.”

“We are learning from our mistakes” - Pant on batting approach leading up to World Cup

Although India’s batting approach has been a very confident one in the ongoing series, Pant asserted that the team is focused on learning from mistakes and getting better. He said:

“I think, from a batting point of view, we are going fine. We are learning from our mistakes and every day as the Indian cricket team we stride to improve. That’s the only thing we are looking forward to.”

With the series gone, India will look to claim a consolation win in the final ODI in Cape Town on Sunday.