South Africa missed a good chance to knock out India captain KL Rahul in their second ODI in Paarl when Keshav Maharaj and Andile Phehlukwayo screwed up the catch. The incident came in the final ball of the 15th inning, after a horrific scuffle that saw Pant and Rahul stuck at the same end, but South Africa failed to influence the out.
Miscommunication ensues when Pant shoves the ball from Keshav Maharaj to the close center outfielder. Seeing the Pant take off, Rahul was on his way to the other end, although neither batsman made eye contact with the other. Rahul was at wicket in the second half and Pant decided to go back, and in that moment both batsmen were at the end of the striker. Shockingly, an opportunity that could have been achieved 11 times out of 10 ran out and South Africa managed to slip. Bowler Maharaj failed to catch Bavuma’s pitch at the non-forward end and, to make matters worse, midfielder Phehlukwayo couldn’t support well. Phehlukwayo stopped the ball but didn’t catch it. The conceded ball was followed by another rollover that saw Phehlukwayo miss possession. Surprisingly, there was also no coordination among the South African outfielders. For South Africa, it was an opportunity on the platter as neither Rahul nor Pant knew the ball had not been collected properly. Rahul almost gave up, and Pant’s face turned completely to the other side. It wasn’t until Rahul looked back and realized that the ball was not in anyone’s hands that he decided to run back and survive a very unlikely situation.
Sure enough, Captain India was displeased, said a few words to Pant, and gave him a cold look. How relaxing. India were 70/2 at the time, with Pant and Rahul adding just six points after Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli’s wickets went down in quick succession.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
