India lost to South Africa by five wickets in a low-scoring T20 World Cup thriller between the sides in Perth on Sunday. Apart from the Proteas' impressive performance with the ball, it was the poor fielding of the Indian team that saw the result of the match go in favour of South Africa. While Virat Kohli missed a sitter at deep mid-wicket to see Aiden Markram survive at a crucial juncture in the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma missed a run-out chance against the same batter later in the match.
Despite the two misfields from India, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar backed the fielders and said that it was rather Ravichandran Ashwin's expensive spell that cost India the game.
"Things like dropping a catch and missing a run-out chance happen in cricket. We can't blame any one player for the loss. When luck is not on one's side, big players too can drop catches or miss run-out chances. I believe that the main problem when India fielded was one bowler giving away 47 (43) runs," Gavaskar told Aaj Tak.
Ashwin bowled four over in the game vs South Africa and conceded 43 runs, while taking the wicket of Tristan Stubbs.
Talking about the game, David Miller hit an unbeaten 59 off 46 balls and Aiden Markram scored 52 as South Africa defeated India by 5 wickets in Perth on Sunday. The Proteas were reduced to 24 for 3 in their chase of 134 runs in the game but a 76-run stand between Aiden Markram and David Miller helped them bounce back and win the game eventually.