Shreyas Iyer cited that India didn’t need someone to straightaway start hitting as the reason behind Axar Patel being sent in ahead of Dinesh Karthik in the second T20I against South Africa.
When asked the reason behind it, Shreyas in the post-match press conference explained: “We strategised earlier. We had 6-7 overs left. Axar Patel is someone who can take singles and keep rotating the strike. We didn’t require someone to go and straightaway start hitting.
“Even DK (Dinesh Karthik) can do that, but DK has been a really good asset for us after 15 overs when he can come in and slog the ball. But even he was finding it a little bit difficult to start on. Wicket played a huge role.”
Karthik came in the 17th over and dragged India from 112/6 to 148/6 with his unbeaten 21-ball 30, which included two maximums and as many boundaries. Heinrich Klaasen’s brilliant knock of 81 helped South Africa to chase down the target with 10 balls remaining.
