South Africa batsman Rassie van der Dussen admitted that his slow start put pressure on the visiting team in the first of a five-match T20I series against India in New Delhi on Thursday. Van der Dussen, on the other hand, said he was determined to make the most of the extra chance he was given after Shreyas Iyer dropped his catch during the high-scoring match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Had to make India pay after Shreyas Iyer dropped my catch: Rassie van der Dussen
South Africa beat India in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) game of the five-match series on June 9 (Thursday) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, with Rassie van der Dussen scoring 75*. Shreyas Iyer dropped him at 29, and the South African said later that he knew he had to make India pay for the missed catch.
Van der Dussen believes that his approach works sometimes and that he can get lucky on certain days, as he did in the first T20I against India. He also admitted that not being able to hit boundaries early on put him and his team under pressure.
“I took a good few balls to get in and it was a wicket that got a lot easier once you were in. It was tough to get yourself set. I knew I was in and I had to make them pay. I did put myself and the team under pressure by not being able to hit early boundaries. Sometimes [your approach] just doesn’t come off and other days it does. Some days you’re lucky, others you’re not. And tonight I was lucky,” Rassie van der Dussen said.
South Africa won by seven wickets and completed their most successful T20I chase. Temba Bavuma, the South African captain, won the toss and chose to bowl first. With the help of Ishan Kishan, who scored 76 off 48 deliveries, Indian batters scored a mammoth total of 211 for the loss of four wickets. After losing three wickets for 81 runs in the second innings, it was David Miller and Van der Dussen who turned the game completely in South Africa’s favour. Miller was named Man of the Match after hitting 64* off 31 balls.
