Shikhar Dhawan defends Indian spinners, says wet ball made it difficult

The heroes of the previous three ODIs, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Chaha, were the villains in Johannesburg (fourth ODI) on Saturday as the duo conceded 119 runs claiming just three wickets. After India’s target of 290 in the first innings was revised to 202 in 28 overs following a lengthy rain interruption, Kohli’s decision to bank on the duo backfired terribly.

However, opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a century in his 100th ODI in India’s first innings, came into the spinners’ defence as he blamed the rain for their below par performance.

“It makes a difference when the ball gets wet. The spinners cannot turn it that much and that made a difference for us. Of course, South Africans played very well,” said Dhawan, reported Hindustan Times.

“We dropped a catch, then a wicket came off a no-ball (both chances went to David Miller). The momentum changed from there. Otherwise, we were in a very good position. But the rain had an impact too. Our Spinners couldn’t turn the ball or grip the ball the way they did in the last three matches. That’s the main reason why we lost.”

Dhawan has been on the incline from the first ODI at Kingsmead. His last four innings read 35, 51*, 76 and 109. He entered into an elite club on Saturday, becoming the first Indian player to score a century in the 100-mark game.

“We thought that the ball swings a bit in the evening breeze which is why we decided to bat first. The wicket gets faster as the deck gets hard. It had extra bounce too. We were batting in a flow when there was a break (due to thunder and lightning) for an half-an-hour to an hour and our flow was broken. After that, I got out. Then the runs didn’t come at the same pace. But that doesn’t mean the total was bad. But once it rained again, the outfield became wet,” said the Indian opener.

The match was still evenly balanced after the target was revised with South Africa struggling to run the chase as AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla were sent packing with a lot of runs still left. However, after David Miller was given two lifelines in one over of Yuzvendra Chahal, the outcome was more than known. After Shreyas Iyer dropped his catch, Chahal bowled him on a No-ball. Miller then rode his luck to forge a 79-run partnership with Klaasen and took the game beyond doubt.

 “Unfortunately it rained (during South African innings), and that made a bit of a difference. Miller, of course, played very well. Luck was on his side though. At first, he got dropped and then got bowled off a no-ball. Usually, our spinners don’t bowl no-balls. But that happens. He took that chance with both hands and changed the momentum of the game,” said Dhawan.

“They are young and have been bowling very well. Anyone can have a bad day. These two have won three games for us. Sometimes, luck favours the opposition too and not just our side. It favoured Miller. It’s not a thing that happens every time. It is important to go through failures too to learn in your life. It’s just one loss. We’ve already won three games so one more game and we’re through.”