The Proteas reached a competitive total of 187 after recovering from early setbacks, capitalizing on some ineffective bowling from the hosts. In response, India delivered a disappointing batting display and were bowled out for just 111 runs, marking a shocking collapse.
The defeat has complicated India’s path to the semi-finals. They now need to win the remaining two games and be confident that other results will go in their favor. Kotak, however, maintained that despite the setback, there are no major concerns within the team management.
“During the bilateral matches, the batting was clicking. In the last match, the batting was worrying. I don’t look at individual failures. We have to take control of the last match, it is the worst match we have played in two years. Openers have not clicked either. It’s fine, I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on it. Not really worried,” Kotak told RevSportz at the pre-match press conference.
India have struggled to adapt to the surface as they have been unable to play their usual free-flowing cricket from the start. On the black-soil wickets the ball has not landed on the bat as well as expected, making stroke play difficult.
However, the coach disagreed with the criticism and claimed that such conditions are not kryptonite for the team. He emphasized that only minor adjustments are needed and expressed confidence that the players can adapt quickly.
“I don’t think we struggle on black ground. When the deliveries get slow in T20, batting becomes a struggle. If there is a collapse, we can’t blame the surface. We have done quite well, there is not much concern. If you lose a few wickets, you have to wait and see how the ball moves. It is more about when and how you can adapt to the conditions than thinking negatively from ball one,” Kotak said.
Kotak stressed the importance of handling pressure situations and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to respond strongly in the upcoming matches after the recent setback. He stressed that managing crucial moments effectively will be key to getting back into the tournament.
India will next take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 26 in what promises to be a must-win encounter for the Men in Blue.
“When you go to bed, there is pressure. There is always fear, but you learn to deal with it. For a professional, it is part of his life and has to be dealt with positively. If we want to win the World Cup, we have to deal with the pressure, there is nothing this team cannot handle,” Kotak said.
Get every cricket update! Follow us:
#T20 #World #Cup #worst #match #weve #played #years #Sitanshu #Kotak #backs #India #bounce