Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'We saw what Phehlukwayo did with keeper up': Ex-SA batter suggests KL Rahul to try 'untested' India player in 2nd ODI
The former South African batter said that Team India should draw a leaf out of Andile Phelukwayo's book in the 1st ODI.
Team India will be aiming to make a strong comeback in the three-match series against South Africa, having faced a 31-run defeat in the first ODI in Paarl. The KL Rahul-led side was left with many questions to answer; the biggest, perhaps, being Venkatesh Iyer's absence in the bowling attack. Iyer made his ODI debut in the first match of the series but didn't bowl a single over, triggering debate over his role in the side.
India vs South Africa Live Score
Former South Africa batter Daryll Cullinan, citing Andile Phehlukwayo's spell during the middle overs of the Indian innings, said that Iyer should be utilised in a similar manner. Phehlukwayo bowled five overs, taking two important wickets of Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin. He bowled with keeper standing up and the tactic worked against Pant, who was stumped on 16.
“Venkatesh Iyer should bowl. We saw what Phehlukwayo did with the keeper up. Maybe he can offer that sort of variation. If he’s playing, and is untested with the ball as such, he must be given the full opportunity (to prove himself)," Cullinan said on ESPNCricinfo.
Earlier, the decision to not bowl Iyer in the 1st ODI was also met with criticism from former Indian cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra, who wondered whether the team management sees Iyer as an all-rounder.
“You could've given him 5-6 overs and see how he is bowling, because you're looking at him as an all-rounder,” Gambhir noted during his on-air stint. In reply, Chopra said, “I don't know, it seems only you and I are looking at him that way.”
Chopra further cited Iyer's appearances in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand where he wasn't given the ball in the first two games.
“Because when the T20Is were there (against New Zealand), Rohit Sharma was the captain. It was a home series against New Zealand and you didn't hand him the ball in the first two matches. We kept on waiting. That happened when others were conceding 10 runs per over,” said the former India opener.
