T20 World Cup 2022: “The catches we dropped or the run-outs we missed” – Bhuvneshwar Kumar highlights decisive moments in South Africa loss

Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar admitted that India’s poor fielding cost them the crucial game against South Africa. The Proteas moved top of Group 2 after beating the Men in Blue by five wickets at the Perth Stadium on Sunday.

Defending a below-par 133, India had to take whatever opportunities that came their way – even half-chances. But Rohit Sharma’s boys missed a slew of potential run-outs, while Virat Kohli dropped a sitter to hand half-centurion Aiden Markram a life.

“Yes if we would have taken those catches, it could have been a different result. Of course catches win matches, or good fielding help you win matches. So if we would have taken those chances or those run-outs, then things could have been different,” he told reporters at the post-match press conference.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who was the lone frontline spinner in the side, had a rather forgettable outing. Asked to point at a decisive moment, Bhuvi couldn’t single out any particular incident. But he once again lamented the missed opportunities on the field.

“The catches we dropped or the run-out chances we missed; we knew that if we would have taken those, then things could have been different. But there wasn’t any particular moment where we can say that the momentum shifted towards their side,” the 32-year-old, who gave away 21 runs without taking a wicket, reiterated.

Markram was dropped by Kohli at deep mid-wicket when on 35. Notably, it was off Ashwin's bowling. He went on to score a 41-ball 52, while David Miller sealed the deal with an unbeaten knock of 59 of 46 deliveries. It was during their 76-run fourth-wicket alliance that India’s fielders, including captain Rohit Sharma, failed to hit the stumps even once.

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“Things become a bit easy for the batting team” – Bhuvi reasons Ashwin’s 18th over

Ravichandran Ashwin conceded 30 runs from his last 2 overs to return figures of 1 for 43

After Ashwin was plundered for 17 runs in the 14th over, it was clear that the veteran off spinner’s final over would prove to be the make-or-break one.

In the match against Pakistan, Babar Azam held back left-arm orthodox Mohammad Nawaz till the final over. Tonight, though, Rohit entrusted Ashwin with the responsibility of bowling the 18th. And that indeed was the final nail in the coffin, as Miller hit him for two sixes to put the result beyond doubt. It can be argued that the dropped catch sort of derailed his rhythm.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar reasoned that the move was to make things slightly difficult for the opposition batters by not bowling a spinner in the crucial 20th over.

“The general thinking is: if he concedes less runs, then it becomes difficult at the end. Because we have seen sometimes that if the last over is bowled by a spinner, then things become a bit easy for the batting team. So I think that was the thinking there. If there would have been one less boundary or a wicket would have come, then things would have been very different,” he said in response to a Sportskeeda query.

While South Africa sit pretty at the top of the tree, the road to the knockouts becomes a bit rough for Pakistan. They would have to beat both Bangladesh and the Proteas, while hoping for other results to go their way as well.

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