With a win against the Netherlands on Thursday (October 27), Team India moved one step closer to advancing to the knockout stages of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. Their next big assignment is against South Africa on Sunday (October 30) in Perth.
South Africa is coming back off a landslide victory against Bangladesh and is a force to reckon with in Australian conditions given the seamers they have in their arsenal.
Temba Bavuma-led side has players like Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, but India spinner Akshar Patel said in a fiery message to the Proteas before the teams' matchup that his team has Virat Kohli, who has been in sublime form in the tournament.
"We will plan about it. We will play our normal brand of cricket we have been playing without worrying about bouncy pitches and the fact that they have bowlers like Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada. We also have our Virat bhai (Virat Kohli) in form," Patel remarked.
On Thursday, Akshar captured 2 wickets and only allowed 18 runs to be scored in four overs. After a disappointing performance against Pakistan on October 23, the spinner claimed he was able to refocus his mindset and was optimistic going into the game against the Dutch.
"Sometimes as a bowler, a batter is able to take his chances against you and get success. I saw videos with our bowling coach and my line and length were good, except for one ball. Sometimes, you get beat on good balls. But if you keep thinking about this, you will never make a comeback," he added.
The Indian team set a steep target of 180 on Thursday after sensational half-centuries from Rohit Sharma (53 off 39 balls), Virat Kohli (62* off 44 balls), and Suryakumar Yadav (52* off 25 balls).
In reply, the associates were restricted to 123/9 in 20 overs thanks to a disciplined performance from the Indian bowlers.
Suryakumar was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fiery knock.
(ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL INPUTS)
