Team India returned to action on Thursday in the T20I against South Africa, facing a seven-wicket defeat to the visitors at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. India, led by first-time captain Rishabh Pant, posted a strong total of 211/4 on the board; however, South Africa, riding on brilliant knocks from Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller, chased down the target with five balls to spare. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith spoke in detail about Rishabh Pant's captaincy following India's loss.
Smith, who served as the captain of South Africa for over ten years between 2003-2014, insisted that he was interested to watch Rishabh Pant leading the team, particularly after his last outing as captain in 2022 Indian Premier League. In a must-win game for Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians, Pant had dropped a catch and opted out of taking a review for a caught-behind against Tim David – a decision that would eventually hurt the Capitals – as they were knocked out of the season.
“You always criticise a captain when you lose. He has to take a lot on his chin. Post his (Pant's) last game for Delhi Capitals, which was a must-win and he made some tough calls in that match, I was very interested to watch him. But I think tonight, he was very good. He went to the right people at the right time. He tried to stay in the game,” Smith said, as he analysed Pant's captaincy during the first T20I.
{{/usCountry}}“You always criticise a captain when you lose. He has to take a lot on his chin. Post his (Pant's) last game for Delhi Capitals, which was a must-win and he made some tough calls in that match, I was very interested to watch him. But I think tonight, he was very good. He went to the right people at the right time. He tried to stay in the game,” Smith said, as he analysed Pant's captaincy during the first T20I.
{{/usCountry}}“When South Africa were under pressure, he went to Harshal Patel and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). All in all, he made a lot of right decisions. At times, they won't work out because your bowlers have to deliver; you have to execute. But I think he can look back and say, ‘I made the right decisions at the right time’. I think he can gain some confidence after his outing this evening,” Smith further said.
Team India will return to action on Sunday night for the second T20I of the series in Cuttack.