Defending targets has been a cause of concern for the Indian team for quite a while in the shortest format of the game.

With the T20 World Cup 2022 around the corner, the Men in Blue are scheduled to play three more T20Is against South Africa at home and they need to sort out this issue before heading to Australia for the showpiece tournament.

On the eve of the first T20I against South Africa, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour opened up on the same subject and cited "dew" being a factor behind the team’s failure to defend targets.

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Since the Super 4s of the Asia Cup, India have played six T20Is, winning three of them and losing three. However, all three defeats – against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia – have come while bowling second.

Interestingly, none of the Indian team members, who addressed the media after those defeats, blamed it on the dew factor.

"We are working on that area of getting better at defending targets. But to be fair to our bowlers, toss plays a vital role and every time we have not been able to defend are the places where there has been dew, so it gets easier to chase," Rathour told reporters on September 27.

He was sympathetic to the bowlers for the severe criticism they have faced lately.

"I won't be harsh on bowlers as they have been able to push the match till last over, every time, when we are looking to defend. It's one ball here and there but of course we are doing pretty well but hopefully we will get better," he added.

The batting coach also didn't agree that India aren't putting big enough targets while batting first.

"Definitely, it depends on the surface that we are playing on but when you say we haven't been able to put up good scores, I don't agree with that.

"I think batting first that was one of the concerns during the last T20 World Cup but since then, we have been putting up par or par plus scores every time that we have batted first. So I don't think that's an issue."

India’s top three, comprising KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, had come under the scanner for their conservative approach in T20Is but Rathour is happy with the shift in mindset since the last ICC event.

"There is a very visible shift in the way we are batting. The approach has changed we are trying to be more aggressive, we are playing with better strike rates and more intent, that is pretty evident. As a batting unit, we have done well."

(With PTI inputs)